Overview of Biomass Utilization Options and Processing Challenges
John R. ShellyUniversity of California Cooperative Extension
www.ucfpl.ucop.edu
Woody Biomass Utilization Forum
Redway, California
September 24, 2003
Partial Support – USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry
Challenges for Manufacturing Biomass-Based Products
• Insure a Long-Term Supply of Biomass Raw Material
• Overcome Material Property Limitations (biomass is a low quality raw material)
• Reduce the High Handling and Production Costs
• Improve Processing Knowledge • Develop New Markets• Encourage Research Funding and Investment
Capital
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel
Chips• Pulp Chips• Solid Wood Products• Composite Panels• Fiber/Plastic Composites• Organic Chemicals
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments– Mulch – minimal equipment needs– Compost – require large volume, permits,
turning equipment– Decorative/landscape soil covers
Markets are very competitive, current demand being met, pathogen concerns
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments
• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel Chips– Firewood – market effected by residential
burning regulations– Hog Fuel (furnace, boilers)
• Limited market
– Densified fuels (pellets, fire logs)• Improve fuel density, MC uniformity, and ease of
handling
Tub Grinder
Low value logs sorted for firewood or landscape materials
mulch processed with tub grinder
Combustion of Woody Biomass to produce electricity
California has biomass power plants that consume large quantities of
woody biomass
1999 CA Electricity Production
Coal13.17%
Oil0.02%
Natural Gas30.71%
Geothermal4.80%
Solar & Wind 1.55%
Imports17.94%
Nuclear14.66%
Hydro15.09%
Biomass & Waste2.05%
Total Production: 275,793 GWhBiomass & Waste: 5,663 GWh
Source: California 1999 Gross System Electricity Production, California Energy Commission
20 MW Biomass Powerplant
Typical CA Biomass Powerplant
• 20 MW plant produces about 130 GW/yr• New plant construction cost = $65 million +• Processes 140 - 200 thousand tons/yr
(1BDT/MW/hour)• Biomass transported up to 50 miles• Delivered Biomass valued at $15 - 25 per ton• Average production cost = $0.05/kWh• Market value for power = $0.025/kWh -- ???
30 + MW 20 - 30 MW 10 - 20 MW 0 - 10 MW
Sawmill Cogen
Other Biomass Power Plants
California Biomass Energy Facilities
A 10 MW (megawatt) generator can supply electricity to about 10,000 homes.
Use about 9 to 10 million tons of green biomass per year (4-5 BDT/yr)
• 75% forest base
• 15% Urban woody
• 15% Ag residue
Type Total MWMillion BDT/y
Cogen
Urban & Ag 8 213 1.52 1
Urban, Ag, Forest, Sawmill
10 189.5 1.46 5
Forest & Sawmill
16 242 1.98 11
Total 34 645 5 17
Last one Built in 1997 Source: Biomass Energy Facilities, California Air Resources Board, April 25, 2001.
CA Biomass-Based Power Plants
Costs for Chipping Operation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
HaulChipSkidFell&Bunch
$ per bone dry ton
DBH (inch) Source: Hartsough, 2002
Environmental ImpactAir Emissions Hogged Fuel Boiler
lb/Million Btu
Natural Gas Boiler
lb/Million Btu
CO 2.267 0.058
CO2 fossil 0 114.6
CO2 non fossil 350.0 0
NOx 0.250 0.301
SOx 0.013 0.073
Non methane VOC 0 0.009
Methane 0 0.003
Particulates 0.028 0.009
Slide provided by Wilson, Oregon State Univ.
Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Processing
CO2Air Emissions
NOX, SOX, CO2, …
Products
Recycle
CO2, Methane,… Disposal/Landfill
CarbonStorage
SUN
Log
Slide modified from original provided by Wilson, Oregon State Univ.
Densified Fuels
• Pros– Higher fuel density than biomass chips– Consistent size/shape good for automated feed
• Cons– Saturated market at present– Difficult to use green biomass in processors
Densified Fuel
Gasification
Converts biomass to a gaseous fuel that can be burned cleaner than direct combustion of the biomass
Gasification Process
Biomass Pyrolysis Producer gas Micro-turbines
or Combustion
Char Conversion
Combustion
Char & Ash
Char & Ash
Heat
Heat Ash & Exhaust Gases
Producer gas
SO2 ~ 0.15 lbs per million BTU NOx ~ 0.05 lbs per million BTU CO ~ 0.05 lbs per million BTU Particulates ~ 0.025 lbs per mill ion BTU
(In excess of 600 oC)
*producer gas - a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and water.
Community Power Gasifier: 12.5 KW
Chiptec Gasifier and Combustion/Boiler Unit
– Deregulation policies– Relative price of natural gas and electricity– Implementation air quality regulations
• CO2
• Particulate size
– Carbon Sequestration -- does biomass CO2 have a zero emission impact?
– Societal value on biomass disposal/use
The Future of Biomass Power Plants Depends on …
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel Chips
• Pulp Chips– Volatile markets – off shore or out of state– Limits to chips from small diameter (juvenile
wood)– Old pulp mills closing, new pulp plants in
Western US unlikely
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel Chips• Pulp Chips
• Solid Wood Products– Landscape posts, poles, fencing – Structural roundwood– Lumber and derivative wood products
Round Wood Products
• Pros– No saw kerf waste– Mechanical strength advantage– Dimensional stability is high
• Cons– Limited markets
Pole Pole PeelerPeeler
Small-Log, Pole Construction
Slide provided by USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab
Small-log Roof System
Slide provided by USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab
Connections are Difficult
Slide provided by USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab
Lumber Products
• Pros– Commodity markets well established– Processing equipment readily available
• Cons– Small wood processors can’t compete with
commodity producers (high processing costs)– Dimensional stability low
Small Sawmills for Small logs?
Small Log Processor
Slide provided by USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab
Slide provided by USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab
Dimension Lumber ? – Warp is a problem
Treatments
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1 2 5 6 3 4 7 8
Tw
ist
(mm
)
Restraint No restraint
Costs for Sawlog Operation
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
11 13 15 17 19
HaulLoadProcessSkidFell&Bunch
$ / MBF
DBH (inch) Source: Hartsough, 2002
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel
Chips• Pulp Chips• Solid Wood Products• Composite Panels – OSB, MDF
– Unlikely, few plants in CA, raw material quality requirements are high.
Oriented Strandboard Sheathing
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel Chips• Pulp Chips• Solid Wood Products• Composite Panels• Fiber/Plastic Composites
– few plants in CA, raw material quality requirements are high.
Plastic Composite Lumber
Potential Products for Biomass
• Soil Additives/Amendments• Firewood/Fuelwood, Combustion Fuel Chips• Pulp Chips• Solid Wood Products• Composite Panels• Fiber/Plastic Composites• Organic Chemicals
Organic Chemicals from BiomassMany Valuable Chemicals can be Made from Wood
• Ethanol -- Hydrolysis/Fermentation
• Charcoal, phenolic oils, methanol -- Pyrolysis
• Bio-Gases (low BTU, high CO) -- Gasification
• Levulinic and Lactic acid (“building blocks”) –– Hydrolysis/Conversion
• Pharmaceuticals -- Extraction
• Fragrances -- Extraction
Biomass-to-Ethanol Technology
50%CelluloseG-G-G-G-G
25% Lignin (youngclean coal)
25%Hemicellulose S-S-S-S-S
Lignin
Distillation
EE EE E
Biomass
Lignin
SGSGSGSG
Lignin
EEEEEEEE
Hydrolysis
Yeast/other organisms
G = Glucose (a type of sugar)S = Other sugarsE = Ethanol
Gasoline
Low-gradesteam Power Plant Electricity
FermentationConcentrated acid
Dilute acid
Enzyme/acid
or
or
Modified from source slide supplied by USDOE NREL
The MTBE/Ethanol Issue
• MTBE was Oxygenate of Choice in CA
• MTBE leakage from storage tanks has contaminated ground water
• Governor mandated the removal of MTBE in the states gasoline by January 2004.
• EPA recently denied CA request to reformulate gasoline without oxygenates
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Mill
ion
Gal
lons
per
Y
ear
Projected Need CurrentProduction in
California
Biomass BasedUnder
Consideration
Ethanol Production in California
600
8 40
Proposed CA Ethanol PlantsGridley Project• Dilute sulfuric
acid/Enzymatic• Rice straw + other
biomass• 20 million gal/yr• 300,000 BDT per year
(1/3 rice straw)• Online—2004?
Collins Pine Project• Dilute sulfuric Acid • Forest thinnings and
mill residue• 20 million gal/year• 250,000 BDT per year• Online—2005??
Estimated Cost Per Plant = $ 60+ Million
Marketing
• Focus on Local and/or Niche Markets
• Need Survey of Local Wood Users– Raw Material Requirements– Directory of Primary and Secondary
Manufacturers
• Emphasize the “Public Good” Angle
Biomass Uses that make the most sense to me
• Large-scale powerplants– Perhaps small-scale (<1MW) in certain situations but need to look
carefully at long-term economics
• Roundwood products (poles and posts)
• Composite (non-panel) products– Wood/plastic, wood/cement, etc.
• Ethanol ?
• Local Market Opportunities
Summary• Many woody biomass utilization challenges
– Raw material quality, economics, markets
• Slim Profit Margins – little room for mistakes• Small-Scale can’t compete in commodity markets• CA needs diversity in powerplants• CA needs gasoline oxygenates & alternative fuels• Focus on niche and environmental markets• Political and market issues are strong “drivers”• Important to understand the true cost of “doing
nothing”