Biomass

John E. FerrellOffice of the Biomass Program

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Presentation Outline

• BioFuels Presidential Initiative• Billion Ton Study• Pathways and Platforms• Energy Balance of Corn• Establishing Regional Feedstock Partnerships• Corn Stover Sustainability Study• Perennial Crop Sustainable Attributes• EERE/Office of Science Workshop • Federal Collaboration – work with other

agencies

Replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025

2012 Goal: Fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years.

National Goals

EERE Program Goal:

Dramatically Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil

Efficient use of our liquid transportation fuels is an objective. Augmenting the Supply of that liquid fuel from more than one energy source is critical!

0

5

10

15

20

25

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

ProjectedActualMillion barrels per day

Transportation Oil Use

Domestic Oil Production

President’sHydrogen Fuel Initiative Plus FreedomCAR

Oil Imports

Biofuels Production Initiative

“The mission of Biomass Program is to partner with U.S. industry to foster research and development on advanced technologies that will transform our abundant biomass resources into clean, affordable, and domestically-produced biofuels, biopower and high-value products. The result will be improved economic development, expanded energy supply options, and increased energy security”

OBP Mission

The Biofuels Initiative Strategy

• Investigate the Conversion of a much broader number of possible feedstocks

• The funding will also allow us to see just how far our effort to convert corn stover can be leveraged into other feedstock including other agricultural residues, grasses, and woody residues

• Develop regional feedstock partnerships to identify local opportunities for feedstock production and ethanol production

Billion Ton Study

Are there sufficient resources to meet 30% of the country’s petroleum requirements?

• Yes, land resources of the U.S. can sustainably supply more than 1.3 billion dry tons annually and still continue to meet food, feed, and export demands

• Realizing this potential will require R&D, policy change, stakeholder involvement

• Required changes are not unreasonable given current trends

1301

933

368

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Million dry tons per year

Total resource potential

Agricultural resources

Forest resources

Billion Ton Study

Feedstock Resource Potential

• “Billion Ton” study indicates that enough biomass is potentially available to displace > 30% of current U.S. petroleum consumption

• But it requires variety of biomass types– Agricultural lands

• Corn stover, wheat straw, soybean residue, manure, switchgrass, poplar/willow energy crops, etc.

– Forest lands• Forest thinnings, fuelwoods, logging

residues, wood processing and paper mill residues, urban wood wastes, etc.

$10.00

$28.50

$11.00

$3.50

$12.50

$15.50

$8.55

$10.35

$1.75

$12.50

$15.50

$8.50

$8.65

$1.75

$12.50

$15.50

$8.30

$5.50$1.75

$12.50

$14.00

$8.30

$2.75$1.75

$10.00

$12.50

$8.00

$2.75$1.75

$9.00

$12.50

$5.00

$2.75

$5.75

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Storage

Preprocessing

Transportationand Handling

Harvest andCollection

Production

Feedstock production,collection, handling & preparation

Acids, enzymes

High heat, low oxygen

Bacteria

Pyrolysis

Catalysis, heat, pressureExtraction

Mechanical, chemical

Mechanical, chemical

Hydrolysis

Gasification

Digestion

Separation

Sugars & Lignin

Sugars & Lignin

SynthesisGas

SynthesisGas

Bio-OilBio-Oil

Carbon-RichChains

Carbon-RichChains

PlantProducts

PlantProducts

Bio-gasBio-gas

Fuels:EthanolRenewable DieselHydrogen

Power:ElectricityHeat

Chemicals:PlasticsSolventsChemical

IntermediatesPhenolicsAdhesivesFurfuralFatty acidsAcetic AcidCarbon blackPaintsDyes, Pigments,

and InkDetergentsEtc.

Food and Feed

Fuels:Fuels:EthanolRenewable DieselHydrogen

Power:Power:ElectricityHeat

Chemicals:Chemicals:PlasticsSolventsChemical

IntermediatesPhenolicsAdhesivesFurfuralFatty acidsAcetic AcidCarbon blackPaintsDyes, Pigments,

and InkDetergentsEtc.

Food and FeedFood and Feed

USESUSES

Integrated Biorefinery

BiofuelsProduction

Co-ProductsPlatforms

ConversionPlatforms

Feedstock Platform

Pathways

R&D development will consider

all process steps to optimize

the production of biofuels

Product Options

Pathway/Platform Matrix

And Spur the Establishment

of the

Domestic Bioindustry

Pathways

Biorefinery

R&D Platforms and Pathways

FeedstockR&D

FeedstockR&D

BiochemicalR&D

BiochemicalR&D

ThermochemicalR&D

ThermochemicalR&D

ProductsR&D

ProductsR&D

Balance of Plant

Balance of Plant

Existing Wet & Dry Mill ImprovementsExisting Wet & Dry Mill Improvements

Oil Seed Mill ImprovementsOil Seed Mill Improvements

Agricultural Residue ProcessingAgricultural Residue Processing

Perennial Energy Crops ProcessingPerennial Energy Crops Processing

Pulp and Paper Mill ImprovementsPulp and Paper Mill Improvements

Forest Residue ProcessingForest Residue Processing

IntegratedBiorefineriesIntegrated

Biorefineries

Development and Demonstration Deployment

Increasing Industry Participation

Fundamental R&D

Today

Accelerated3 to 10 Years

Recent studies have suggested that biofuels, ethanol and biodiesel specifically, require more energy to produce than can be obtained from them.

Energy Balance

Several studies refute this point:

•Argonne National Laboratory: Corn ethanol requires 26% less energy than it contains, while cellulosic ethanol requires 90% less.

•A joint DOE/USDA study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that soy-based biodiesel requires 69% less energy to make than it contains.

Regional Biomass Energy Feedstock Partnerships

• Goal: Establish Regional Feedstock Partnerships to develop, evaluate, and deploy sustainable biomass resource supplies with a clear understanding of economic analysis and market relationships for commercial development.

• Strategy: – Develop the Southeast Regional Partnership as a prototype for other regions– Identify regional contacts to serve on working groups in the following

technical and non-technical areas:• Sustainable Agricultural and Forestry Residues• Sustainable Perennial Grass/Tree Development• Sustainable Feedstock Resource and Economic Analysis• Communication and Information Dissemination

• Potential Participants:– Sun Grant Initiative - NBSRP Regional Offices– DOE - Farm Bureaus– USDA - Land Grant Universities– ORNL - Other Universities– INL - R&D Partners– Mississippi State University - Biorefiners

Corn Stover Removal ImpactAssessment on Grain Yield

• Joint USDA and DOE project initiated in August 2005

• Objective – Assess impact of corn stover removal strategies, for use as a bioenergy feedstock, on subsequent year corn grain production

• Approach: – Summarize existing

published/unpublished data on residue removal impact on grain yields

– Initiate studies on stover removal strategies that will produce an acceptable biorefining feedstock

606 All 605 All 506 None 505 Half 406 Half 405 Half

604 Half 603 None 504 All 503 None 404 All 403 All

602 None 601 Half 502 Half 501 All 402 None 401 None

All Removed Half Removed None Removed

No-till Disk No-till Disk Disk No-till

306 All 305 None 206 Half 205 Half 106 None 105 All

304 Half 303 Half 204 All 203 All 104 Half 103 Half

302 None 301 All 202 None 201 None 102 All 101 NoneNo-till Disk Disk No-till Disk No-till

25 ft alley

N

50 ft

30 ft

Power polesand dogleg

Power poleand well

375 ft

205 ft

5 ft alley for irrigation pipe

Rep 3 Rep 2 Rep 1

Rep 6 Rep 5 Rep 4 Nebraska stover removal research plot design

Iowa stover removal field trials – High cut, leaves most of the stalk; Low cut, removes most stover

Perennial Cover- Wind Erosion Control

up to 10H- Water Erosion Control

Removal of AgriculturalChemical from Ground Water

Tree Height (H)

ca. 6

0 ft

at a

ge 8

No Annual FeedstockStorage Cost

Low Chemical Input<10 lbs. N/ac/yr

No site disturbancefor 5-6 years

Soil Carbon-Amendment0.6 dry tons/ac/yr

fine root turnover1.0 dry ton/ac/yr

biomass accumulation

Life HistoryFast-growing perennialsNine native species andnumerous hybrid clones

Cultural PracticesShort rotation forestry

on agricultural land

Productivity Potential5 to 10 dry tons/ac/yr

Native Range of AllNorth American Populus

Wildlife Habitat- Winter Cover- Early Spring

oblique root sinker root

Root Depth

5 ft

horizontal roots

ATTRIBUTES OF POPULUS

Conventional System vs.Conventional System vs.Domesticated SystemDomesticated System

• 8’ x 8’ spacing• $0.21 / cutting• 5 tons / ac / yr• 8-year rotation• default harvest cost• $51.42 / ton

• 4’ x 8’ spacing• $0.12 / cutting• 13.5 tons / ac / yr• 5-year rotation• $8 / ton harvest cost• $20.67 / ton

Attributes of Switchgrass- Native perennial grass - Farm-compatible - High yield and energy

efficiency- Ecological and economic gains for agriculture

DOE EERE/Science Biomass to Biofuels

• White Paper – “Critical Challenges in Bioenergy for Applied and Fundamental Research at DOE – An Overview of Collaborative Opportunities”

• Workshop Sessions• Feedstock Genomics and Engineering• Plant Cell Wall Deconstruction• Biological Conversion of Biomass• Crosscutting

Functional Requirements

Strategy for Joint Workshop

EERE/OBP Industry

PULL

OS OBER

GTL Roadmap Multi Year Technical Plan

• Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003, Title II

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Woody Biomass Utilization (DOE/USDA/DOI)

• MOU for Biomass to Hydrogen (DOE/USDA)

• Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000 – Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee

• Vision for Bioenergy & Biobased Products in the US• Roadmap for Bioenergy & Biobased Products in the US

– Biomass R&D Board (DOE/USDA/DOI/EPA/NSF/OFEE)

• Farm Bill 2002, Title IX– Federal Procurement of Biobased Products (Section 9002)– Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements (Section 9006)– Biomass Research and Development (Section 9008)

• Joint DOE/USDA Solicitation for FY 02, FY 03, & FY04– Continuation of the Bioenergy Program (Section 9010)

• Joint Projects• Joint USDA/DOE Feedstock Stage Gate Review• Billion Ton Feedstock Study (USDA/DOE)

Federal Agency Collaboration