OVERVIEW
BIOENERGY
Julia Brown
jbrown_64@hotmail.com
What is Bioenergy
Bioenergy/Biomass Energy
Energy derived from biomass
Through the process of photosynthesis
Energy stored from the process can be
transformed to different form of energy
Both living and dead material can be used to
produce bioenergy
Some plants are planted specifically for
bioenergy
Future Contribution of Biomass
Technological development ensuring more
efficient conversion
Lands been made available for production of
biomass
Climate change and the need to reduce
carbon dioxide emission
Biomass is an indigenous energy source
available in most countries
Potential – 30EJ/yr compared to the world
demand of 400EJ/yr
Barriers to the development of Bioenergy
Food and Fuel
Water availability
Land tenure
Scale of production
Lack of infrastructure
Knowledge base
Research and development
Climate Change
Trade and Standards
Sources of Bioenergy
Agricultural & Forest residues
Organic municipal waste
Animal waste
Energy crops
The Generations of
Bioenergy
1st Generation
Produced from food crop e.g. wheat and
sugar
Problem of greenhouse gases
Fuel vs Food
The Generations of
Bioenergy
2nd Generation
Produced from non food crop e.g. wood,
organic waste
Eliminate problems of 1st generation
Cost competitive
Increased net energy gain
The Generations of
Bioenergy
3rd Generation
Based on improvements in biomass e.g.
Algae
Low cost and high energy
Fuel can be manufactured into many
different fuels
The Generations of
Bioenergy
4th Generation
Producing energy and capturing and storing
CO2
Differs from 2nd and 3rd Generation as all level
CO2 is captured
BIOMASS
Biomass is all organic material, an example
being plant matter. It is either:
the direct product of photosynthesis (for
example plant matter – leaves, stems, etc.)
or
the indirect product of photosynthesis (for
example animal mass resulting from the
consumption of plant matter).
BIOMASS
Biomass consists of all forms of animal and
plant organic matters: wood/dead plants,
animal remains, leaves, living plants,
vegetable oils, wastes from agricultural,
residential and industrial sources and so on.
Biomass is different from fossil fuels, even
though they are both from plant and animal
matters. While scientists believe that fossil
fuels come from matters that have undergone
numerous changes over several millions of
years, biomass originates from recently dead
or living plant and animals.
Types Biomass
Woody plants
Herbaceous plants/grasses
Aquatic plants
manures
Plant Characteristics
Contain Cellulos, hemicellulose, Lignin and
small amounts of other extractives
The relative amount of cellulose and lignin
is one of the determining factor in
identifying the suitability for processing as
energy crops
Cellulose – 40- 50%
Hemicellulose – 20 – 40 %
Form of Biomass Energy
Forms of Biomass Energy/Fuels: Biomass
fuels or bio-fuels are in various forms:
Solid :- Wood, sawdust, garbage
Liquid:- Ethanol and Methanol
Gas:- Biogas or swamp gas (mainly Methane
gas)
Properties of Biomass
Moisture Content
Calorific Value
Properties of fixed carbon and volatiles
Ash/residue content
Alkali metal content
Cellulose/lignin ratio
Bulk density
Biomass Yield
BIOMASS Crop yield HHV Energy yield
(dmt/ha/a) (MJ/kg, dry) (GJ/ha)
Wheat 7 grain/7 straw 12.3 (straw) 123
(14 total)
Poplar 10 – 15 17.3 173 – 259
SRC willow 10 – 15 18.7 187 – 280
Switch grass 8 17.4 139
Miscanthus 12 – 30 18.5 222 - 555
