Prof. Franco CotanaPresident founder CIRIAF – CRB

Italian Biomass Research CentreUniversity of Perugia, IT

Working Group on Capacity Building

AN EXAMPLE OF R&D EXPERIENCE

June, 22 2016

CIRIAF – Interuniversity Research Centre on Pollution

and Environment M. Felli

CRB – Biomass Research CentreDepartment of

Engineering

Inaugurazione Sede e Laboratori di CRB e CIRIAF

Biomass

Research

Centre

CIRIAF - Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sull’Inquinamento da Agenti Fisici CIRIAF – CIRIAF is an inter-university research centre founded in 1997 by the University of Perugia and University of Roma Tre. University of Florence, Pisa, L'Aquila, Rome "La Sapienza" and Polytechnic of Bari have later joined the agreement. The administrative seat of the Centre is at the University of Perugia. Actually the members of the Scientific Council of CIRIAF are more than 100 from 14 different Universities.

CIRIAF Offices, Laboratories and facilities

Perugia

• Headquarter and offices

• Laboratories

S. Apollinare

• Headquarter

• Pilot plant

Terni

• Headquarter

• Laboratories

BIOENERGY AND RES - RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE

LAND USE IN ITALY

1950 – Land for agriculture: 12-14 M ha

2015 – Land for agriculture: 7-8 M ha

Lost lands:

- buildings, infrastructures… 0,5 M ha

- Re-forestry, abandoned

marginal lands 4-6 M ha

ILUC EU DIRECTIVE –Draft 2015

Indirect Land Use Change

Art. 2, 2.d “the share of energy from biofuels produced from cereal

and other starch-rich crops, sugars and oil crops and from other

crops grown as main crops primarily for energy purposes on

agricultural land shall be no more than 7% of the final

consumption of energy in transport in the Member States in 2020”

Art. 3, 2.af “sets an indicative 0.5% target for advanced

biofuels from:

o Algae in ponds or photobioreactors;

o Biomass fraction of municipal and industrial solid waste;

o bio-waste;

o Straw;

o Animal manure and sewage sludge;

o Palm oil mill effluent, bagasse,

o Biomass fraction of wastes and residues from forestry and

forest based industry”

a) Harvesting of lignocellulosic biomass from the trasport infrastructures; roads, railways; from streams and drainage channels

b) Biomass from the shores and from rivers (Sarzana, Magra, Corbara Dam)

c) Recovery of lignocellulosic biomass from tree pruning of public and private green spaces

d) Reuse of byproducts from the food pathway (expired foods, food waste etc.)

e) Agricolture byproducts (straw, rapiers etc)

Sustainability and Diversification of the

Biomass Pathway

f) Agro-zootechnical residues and wastes

g) Energy crops on marginal and abandoned lands; unsuitable for agriculture

h) Pruning: olive groves, orchards, vineyards

i) Twigs from coppice wood cutting

j) Lignocelluosic biomass from packaging and waste

Sustainability and Diversification of the

Biomass Pathway

Biomass from forestry (wood excluded) 17 Mt

Biomass from agricultural residues (straw) 10,5 Mt

Biomass from agro-industrial residues 0,85 Mt

Biomass from trees residues (prunings) 3,2

set-aside energy crops (800.000 ha)

Marginal lands crops (3Mha)

12 Mt

24Mt

TOTAL ITALIAN BIOMASS POTENTIAL 67,55 Mt

TOTALE ITALIAN MANURE POTENTIAL 132 Mt

= 20 Mtoe Primary Energy

Italian Potential in Bioenergy

Examples of sustainable chains

A. STRANDED DRIFTWOOD BIOMASS

B. PROJECT CARDOON: DRY-SUSTAINABLE CROPS –LANDSCAPE VALUE

C. ENERGY FROM VINEYARD RESIDUES

D. BIOCHEMICALS FROM LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS: BIOETHANOL, BIODIESEL, LIGNIN, NCC

E. PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE: BLUE GROWTH

A. Stranded Driftwood

biomass, riverbeds and drainage canals

A. STRANDED DRIFTWOOD BIOMASS

Marinella di Sarzana

A. STRANDED DRIFTWOOD BIOMASS

A. RIVERBEDS AND DRAINAGE CANALS

B.Project CARDOON

Dry-Sustainable Crops –Landscape value

1. Straw 2. Seed oil 3. Squeezing Panel 4.Honey 5. Biochemicals14 t/ha 500 l/ha 1 t/ha 15 kg/ha value chain

NCC,Lignin for cosmetics

B. DRY-SUSTAINABLE CROPS –LANDSCAPE VALUE

STRAW14 t/ha

SEEDS 1,7 t/ha

Rotoimballatrice

PANEL 1 t/ha

OIL 500 l/ha

Zootechnic Fodder

Bioplastics

CRB - S. APOLLINARESqueezing plant Mini biogas plant

CARDO CEROSO0,2 t/g

CRB - LABS

Reactor ofSteamExplosion

Driftwood RiverBiomass

YEAR I – Sowing the cardoon (2 ha)

Mainteinance

YEAR II – Experimentation

Gasification & turbine

Harvester

B. PROJECT CARDOON – The CHAINBiomass, Energy, Landscape from Lignocellulosic and Agriculture Residues

PARTNERSHIP

GANTT

RegioniComuni

Attività Anno 1 Anno 2 Anno 3

1. Sowing the seeds of cardoon (2 ha)

2.1 Intensive sowing (cooperatives of coop.)2.2 Lab experimentation & pilot plant

3. Cofiring in a coal plant

B. PROJECT CARDOON – Landscape ValueBiomass, Energy, Landscape from Lignocellulosic and Agriculture Residues

C.FACEB Project

Sustainability Village- Circular Economy

First step: CIRCULAR ECONOMY: SMART GREEN VILLAGE in HISTORIC BUILDINGS

1. Oil milling plant

2. Trigenerationplant

3. The first historic building LEED-HB

4. Mini biogas plant for the community

Vegetable Oil Pathway

(FACEB project)

SEEDSOIL

4

1

2

3

FOOD

ACQUE NERE/FORSU

WC

CANTEEN

HEAT

Electricity

Sewage/OFMSW

RESIDUES

OIL CHAIN

VEGETAL OIL PATHWAY

1. Oil milling plant

WEIGH STATION

SEEDS UNLOADING HOPPER

OIL FILTER

MILLING PLANT

OIL MANIFOLD

OIL TANK

OIL TANK

SEEDS TANK

SEEDS LOADING

SEEDS TANK

SEEDS SCREENING

SEEDS EXTRACTION

n.2 oil storage tanks, 25 m3/eachn.2 seeds storage tanks, 100 tons/each

VEGETAL OIL PATHWAY

1. Oil milling plant

MILLING PLANT OIL FILTER

SEEDSMILLING PLANT

1. Oil milling plant

VEGETAL OIL PATHWAY

VEGETAL OIL PATHWAY

1. Oil milling plant

VEGETAL OIL PATHWAY

1. Oil milling plant

Vegetal Oil co-generator Cooling plant, Evaporation System

Electric Power = 100 kWeThermal Power= 150 kWt

8.000 h/year

VEGETAL OIL PATHWAY

2. Trigeneration plant

Cooling Power= 80 kWf

3. Historic building refurbishmentThe first historic LEED-HB under certification building in the world. Objective: LEED-HB Gold rating > 60 points

Linea captazione biogas 4”

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

4. Mini biogas plant for the community

Underground facilities:Hydrolyser (7 mc)+ Digestor I (7 mc) + Digestor II (7 mc)

4. Mini biogas plant for the community

Electric Power: 10-30 kWThermal power: 50-70 kWBiogas consumption: 5-9 mc/h

4. Mini biogas plant for the community

D.ERAASPV Project

Energy from vineyard residues

C. Landscape ValueUmbria Region

C. ERAASPV Project – Renewable Energy from Vineyard Pruning for Agriculture Farms

1-Rotobagging 2-Storage and transport 3-Chipping and storage

4-Energy Enhancement

VINEYARDS: >250 Ha

Biofuel Wood chips

Burner power 600 kW

Useful power 400 kW(compromise consumptions/availability)

Thermal efficiency 66%

Type of burner Moving grate

Thermal recovering Exhaust gas/diathermic oil exchanger

Thermodynamics fluid Diathermic oil up to 300°C

BIOMASS ENERGY CONVERSION

150 tons d.b/year – 720 MWh/year

HOT WATER

85°C

(company rooms

heating)

COLD WATER

-10°C

(barrels conditioning in

vinification process)

COLD WATER

7°C

(company rooms

air conditioning)

SUPER-HEATED

WATER

(bottles

sterilization)

Biomass boiler characteristics C. ERAASPV Project

Trimming Bundles: NATURAL DRYING

Trimming Waste Harvesting

C. Wineyard prunings residues chain

Chipping machine: used in zootechnics

C. Wineyard prunings residues chain

Wood chips storage

Chips storage

volume: 60 mc

autonomy: min

7-8 days

Biomass diathermic oil boiler

Exhaust gas cleaning

C. Wineyard prunings residues chainEnergy enhancement

Absorption chiller

Expansion joints in pipes

Connections with existing plants

C. Wineyard prunings residues chain

E. Biochemicalsfrom lignocellulosic

biomass:Bioethanol

D. CRB LABORATORIES

Biofuels and biochemicals lab

Steam Generator

Steam Explosion Reactor and Expansion Chamber

Biorector

Distillation unit

D. BIOETA 2 Project – II generation Bioethanol

Kick off meeting19-03-2014

Technological Cluster on Green Chemistry

SPRING – Sustainable Processes and Resources for Innovationand National Growth

E. Biochemicalsfrom lignocellulosic

biomass:Biodiesel

D. BIODIE 2 Project – II generation Biodiesel

Fischer-Tropsch process

E. Biochemicalsfrom lignocellulosic

biomass:Lignin Project

D. LIGNIN Project

1. Co-firing coal-lignin 2. Bio-building applications

of lignin

E. Biochemicals from lignocellulosic

biomass:NCC Project

• The most abundant renewable organic material produced

in the biosphere

•Fundamental constituent of plants (support function)

also found in tunicates and to a lesser extent in algae,

bacteria, fungi, amoebae

D. NCC – Nano Crystalline Cellulose

From tree to NCC

Cellulose molecules assemble into large units know as protofibrils, microfibrils, fibers

(Jones et al., 2007)

D. NCC – Nano Crystalline Cellulose

NCC

PROTECTION

REINFORCEMENT

OPTICAL

BIOMEDICAL/COSMETIC

Storing

Paper moneyPaints

Coatings

AntimicrobialCosmetic

Farmaceutical(drug delivery) Nanocomposites

Bio-nanocompositesNanopaper

D. NCC – Nano Crystalline Cellulose

Properties

Steam Explosion Pretreatment Acid

Hydrolysis

Dialysis Centrifugation

D. NCC – Nano Crystalline Cellulose

F.Prospects for the future:

Blue growth

CHARACTERISTICS-Surface: 5 ha-Biomass production 1500 tons/year-Drainage and floating tube: 4-5 m diameter, -Emptying every 2 months-Species: a. Chlorella Vulgaris salina

b. Dunaliella Bardawil salina

Micro-algae

E. BLUE GROWTHProject MARE

Micro Algae Renewable Energy

Culture Surface

Sea

Foating Pipe

Hydraulic actuator

PV

Wind plant

Biomass Distribution System

A new use of the sea surfaces…

Patent pending

PV

Wind plant

Pumping SystemCulture Surface Floating Systems

Hydraulic actuator

Biomass Distribution System

Cultire Surface Floating Systems

PV

Wind plant

Pumping System

Biomass Distribution System

Hydraulic actuator

H2

Electrolitic Cell

Photovoltaics

Modules

P

O2

Methanation

CH4

CO2

- from biogas upgrading

- from combustion

300 °C

2 Bar Ru

SOLARGAS PRODUCTION

Sabatier Process

CO2 + 4 H2 CH4 + 2 H20H2O + H2 1/2 O2

1. BIOMETHANE PATHWAY

2. SOLARGAS PATHWAY

1 hectare of cultivated field

1 hectare of Photovoltaics

8000 mc

biogas/year

760000 kWh

4.500 mc

bioCH4/year

16.000 mc

photoCH4/year

η = 0,45 %

η ≈ 3 % instead

0,45%

Water electrolysis

PhD PROGRAMME

PhD Programme

in Energy

Engineering

PhD Programme

in Rural Sustainable

Development

PhD Programme

in Energy and

Sustainable

Development

Inaugurazione Sede e Laboratori di CRB e CIRIAFCity of Perugia, Golden Roll of honour 2013 20th June 2013

More than 70 researchers are employed at CIRIAF

cotana@crbnet.it