process of biomass conversion

1. Harran university
College of Engineering
Environmental Department
Process For Biomass Conversion
Presented By : Shadan Rashid Abubaker

2. BIOMASS
• Biomass is a renewable energy source, which are organic matter
produced by plants it includes terrestrial and aquatic plants
• it includes forest crops and residues, crops grown for their energy
content on energy farms and animal manure.
• Coal, oil and natural gas takes millions of year for there formation but
are considered as renewable source because of plant life renews and
add to it self every year.

3. DIAGRAM OF BIOMASS SOURCES

4. CATEGORIZED THE BIOMASS
• These different type of biomass are divided into different categorizes.
There are 2 categorizes
• 1. Dry Biomass :Dry biomass consists of tree chips, paper, various
other plant matter such as corn, soybean, sorghum, sunflower, oats,
barley, wheat and hay. Tress, bagasse, grass, municipal solid waste etc
are also part of dry biomass
• 2. Wet Biomass: Wet biomass tends to be in water or to stay moist
Examples are water plants, animal wastes, Municipal sewerage plant,
industrial waste stream plants and biodiesel oil Treated with
hydrogasification at high pressure and low temperatures to produce a
gas or biofuel oil

5. BIOMASS CONVERSION
• These biomass resources are fall into 3 categories:-
• 1. Biomass in its traditional form
• 2. Biomass from non-traditional
• 3. Ferment the biomass
• In Traditional solid biomass is directly burn and get energy
• In non-traditional biomass is converted into ethanol and methanol to
be used as liquid fuel.
• By fermentation biomass is converted into gaseous fuel.

6. BIOMASS CONVERSION
• Conversions can take place may ways
• 1. Direct combustion:
• 2. Thermochemical conversion
• 3. Biochemical Conversion
• The direct combustion of biomass in presence of oxygen/air to
produce heat and by products is called direct combustion.
• The complete combustion of biomass into ash is called incineration.
• This heat energy in the product gases or in the form of steam can be
used for various applications like space heating or cooling, power
generation, process heating in industries or any other application

7. BIO-FUELS
• The energy stored in dry biomass like wood and straw is most easily
released by direct combustion and dry material is also be converted in to
liquid and gaseous fuel. Biomass is wet or has a moisture content like-
sewage sludge, vegetable matter can be dried and then burnt. Fuel drivers
from biomass are easily handled and burnt. Refined biofuels have high
calorific values and stored for long time.
• CATEGORIES OF BIOFUEL
• There are 3 types of fuel:-
• 1. Solid it include Wood , Straw, Municipal refuse
• 2. Liquid: Vegetable oils, hydro-carbons from euphorbia plants that can be
grow in desert.
• 3. Gases: Bio gases
• Note: Methanol contains 25% ˂ ethanol and 50% ˂ from petrol

8. 2. Thermochemical conversion
• The thermo chemical reaction can convert the organic biomass into more
valuable and convenient form of products as gaseous and liquid fuels,
residue and by-products etc. These processes can be carried out in
following ways:
• 1. Gasification
• 2. Pyrolysis
• 3. liquifaction
• 3. Biochemical Conversion
• In biochemical processes the bacteria and micro organisms are used to
transform the raw biomass into useful energy like methane and ethane gas.
Following organic treatments are given to the biomass:
• 1) Fermentation of biomass (Aerobic digestion)
• 2) Anaerobic digestion of biomass

9. combustion

10. BIOMASS CONVERSION TECHNOLOGIES
• There is wide verities of conversion technologies is available for
manufacturing premium fuel from biomass
• 1. Anaerobic digestion
• 2. Fermentation
• 3. Chemical reduction
• 4. Thermal process
• 5. Oil extraction

11. CATEGORIZED THE PROCESSES
• These are further categorizes the processes into 2 types
• 1. Wet processes
a) Anaerobic digestion.
b) Fermentation
c) Chemical reduction
• 2. Dry processes.
a) Pyrolysis
b) Liquefaction
c) Gasification
d) Steam gasification
e) Hydrogenation
f) Hydrolysis

12. Anaerobic digestion:
• The anaerobic digestion or anaerobic fermentation process involves
the conversion of decaying wet biomass and animal waste into
biogas through decomposition process by the action of anaerobic
bacteria. Biogas is produced by the bacterial decomposition of wet
sewage sludge, animal dung or green plants in the absence of oxygen
but digestion takes much longer time. The natural decay process
anaerobic decomposition can be speeded up by using thermally
insulation, air tight tank and heating system. Optimum temperature
35˚C for complete decomposition of animal or human residue in 10
days. The residue left after digestion is valuable fertilizer.

13. BIOGAS
• Biogas is a combustible gaseous fuel that is collected from the
microbial degradation of organic matter in anaerobic conditions The
gases methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide (CO) can be
combusted or oxidized with oxygen Biogas contains 55-65% methane,
30-40% CO2, and the remainders are impurities like H2S, H2, N2
gases.

14. Fermentation:
•Fermentation is a process of decomposition of complex molecules of
organic compound under the influence of micro-organism(ferment)
such as yeast, bacteria, enzymes etc.
•Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of sugar solution by natural
yeasts.
•After 30 hours of fermentation the beer is contain 6-10% alcohol and
can be removed by distillation.
•The fibrous residue from plants like sugarcane bagasse, paddy straw
etc. have been burnt to provide heat.
One tone of sugar will produce up to 520 liters of alcohol.
•After fermentation the residue from grains and other feed stuffs
contains high protein content and is a useful cattle feed supplement.

15. Chemical reduction:
• •Chemical reduction is the least developed of the biomass conversion
processes.
• •Pressure- cooking the animal waste or plant cellulosic slurry with
alkaline catalyst in the presence of carbon monoxide at temperature
250-400 C and the organic matter converted into mixture of oil. The
calorific value of product is if pressure is low and temperature is high.

16. DRY PROCESSES
• Pyrolysis :- the energy rich fuels can be produced by roasting dry
woody matter like saw dust and wood chips. The material fed into
reactor vessel and heated in the absence of air. The temperature is
rise the cellulose and lignin is break down to simple substance. The
range of temperature lies between 500-1000 c.
• Liquefaction:- the liquid are maximized by rapid heating of the
feedstock at low temperature. The vapours are condensed from the
gas stream and saperated into 2 phases-
• 1) Aqueous Phase- contains water soluble organic matter like-
acetone, acetic acid
• 2) Non aqueous phase- it consists of oils and tars.

18. Gasification:-
• Pyrolysis of wet biomass produced fuel gas. For maximizing the gas
yield is blow small quantity of air in the reactor and to increase the
temperature 1000 c. Air blower Gasifier has low calorific value and
may be 40%inert nitrogen gas Oxygen fed system has medium
calorific value
• GASIFIERS
• It is equipment which can gasify a variety of biomass such as wood
waste, agricultural waste like straw, stalks etc. the gasifier is
essentially a chemical reactor where various complex physical and
chemical processes take place.

19. • Hydrogenation:- less severe condition of temperature and pressure
300-400˚C and at 100 atm pressure respectively, carbon monoxide
and steam react with cellulose to produce heavy oils.
• Hydrolysis:- it is technology which converts cellulose to alcohols
through fermentation. Ethyl alcohol can be produced from a variety of
sugar by fermentation with yeasts. Molasses is diluted with water to
sugar content of about 20%, pH 4.5 and mixed with yeast. Ammonia
is used to reduce acidity.

20. CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOMASS
• Fuel characteristics important to the design and analysis of biomass
conversion processes. These properties are useful in biomass
conversion processes.
• These properties are:-
• 1. Physical Properties:- Density, angle of repose and moisture content
2. Chemical Properties:- Calorific value and proximate analysis
• 3. Thermal Properties:- Elemental analysis and chemical properties

21. ADVANTAGES OF BIOMASS
• The biomass can be grown in near by seas and lakes. The lands can be
spread for food crops.
• •I.C. Engines(internal combustion engine) can be run on biogas
produced from biomass.
• •Biomass can be used for plastics and pharmaceutical products.
• •Use of biomass keeps surroundings clean and healthy without
insects and pests

22. DISADVANTAGES OF BIOMASS
• Biomass contains 50-90% water and it is heavy. Hence transportation if
needed is very difficult.
• Direct combustion of biomass produces smokes and smells.
• Calorific value of biomass if burnt in the raw form is very less.
• Biogas plants need lots of care and maintenance for its successful
operations.
• It is economical if raw biomass such as cow dung is not freely available.
• Biomass conversion plants such as biogas are necessary to convert raw
biomass into useful energy forms.
• Biogas plants occupy larges land areas.
• If the biomass is required to be transported over long distances, the cost
transportation is very high

23. REFERENCES
• Text book:- non-conventional renewable resources by GD rai
Handbook of renewable sources
• Chapter- 1 characteristics of biomass by AK jain