Bioenergy

Biomass to Biofuels

Anju Dahiya

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2014
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• eBook ISBN:
  9780124081208
• Subtopic: Renewable Power Resources
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Depleting fossil fuel reserves and adverse effects of fluctuating oil prices have renewed interest in alternative and sustainable sources of energy. Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels takes on this topic and examines current and emerging feedstocks and advanced processes and technologies enabling the development of all possible alternative energy sources: solid (wood energy, grass energy, and other biomass), liquid (biodiesel, algae biofuel, ethanol), and gaseous/electric (biogas, syngas, bioelectricity). Divided into seven parts, Bioenergy gives thorough consideration to topics such as feedstocks, biomass production and utilization, life cycle analysis, Energy Return on Invested (EROI), integrated sustainability assessments, conversions technologies, biofuels economics and policy. In addition, contributions from leading industry professionals and academics, augmented by related service-learning case studies and quizzes, provide readers with a comprehensive resource that connect theory to real-world implementation. - Provides a comprehensive overview and in-depth technical information of all possible bioenergy resources (solid, liquid, and gaseous), including cutting-edge topics such as advanced fuels and biogas - Integrates current state of art coverage from feedstocks to cost-effective conversion processes to biofuels economic analysis and environmental policy - Features case studies and quizzes for each section derived from the implementation of actual hands-on biofuel projects as part of service learning

Part I

Bioenergy—Biomass to Biofuels: An overview

Outline

Introduction

Chapter 1. Introduction to Bioenergy

Chapter 2. Introduction to Biodiesel and Glossary of Terms

Chapter 3. Bioenergy: Biomass to Biofuels Glossary of Terms and Convertion Factors

Introduction

Anju Dahiya^1,2

¹University of Vermont, USA ²GSR Solutions, USA

The terms bioenergy, biofuels, and biodiesel are sometimes used interchangeably. The reader may find a variety of definitions of these and other related terms elsewhere in the literature which may be applicable in different contexts and viewpoints as described below. Depending on a region or country of interest, a reader is encouraged to explore the corresponding definitions and fuel specifications.

Part 1 of this book presents introductions to “bioenergy,” biodiesel, fuel specifications, and a rich glossary of terms based on the editor's experience with a University level bioenergy program.

Chapter 1 (Introduction to Bioenergy), as the title suggests, provides a general overview of “bioenergy.” It discusses the energy products and feedstock (wood, agricultural sources of bioenergy, waste—manure; liquid biofuels such as biodiesel and advanced fuels—algae, etc.) currently considered feasible, or plausibly so in near future resulting from the current momentum in technology, policy, and economic change. It is hoped that the reader will

FIGURE 1 The “Bioenergy—Biomass to Biofuels” program creation.¹ Picture courtesy: A. Dahiya.

gain an appreciation of the scope of bioenergy, biomass supply, impacts, and related issues from this chapter.

Chapter 2 (Introduction to Biodiesel and Glossary of Terms) prepared by the National Biodiesel Board provides a state-of-the-art introduction to biodiesel, the biodiesel standards, and the BQ-9000 fuel quality program.

Chapter 3 presents bioenergy - biomass to biofuels terms and terms and definitions related with bioenergy, and a quick reference list of conversion factors used for bioenergy feedstock.

Terms, definitions and fuel specifications in this book

The definition of a term may vary as per different sources. The context of its use is important. Following are some of the key terms as defined by different organizations and experts.

Bioenergy: As defined in Chapter 1 (Introduction to Bioenergy) of this book, “bioenergy is the renewable energy derived from recently living biological material called biomass.” The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL) Bioenergy Feedstock Network defines bioenergy as, “useful, renewable energy produced from organic matter—the conversion of the complex carbohydrates in organic matter to energy.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)^2,3 defines bioenergy as, “energy from biofuels.”

Biofuels: The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)⁴ defines the term biofuels as, “Biomass converted to liquid or gaseous fuels such as ethanol, methanol, methane, and hydrogen.” ORNL defines biofuels as, “Fuels made from biomass resources, or their processing and conversion derivatives,” whereas FAO defines biofuels as, “Fuel(s) produced directly or indirectly from biomass.” The first chapter of this book states that “Biofuels refers to solid, liquid, and gas fuels,” accordingly Chapter 26 states the term, “biofuels are widely used to address different types of fuels derived from living matter, e.g., ethanol, biodiesel, biogas.”

Biodiesel: ORNL defines biodiesel as, “Fuel derived from vegetable oils or animal fats.” The U.S. National Biodiesel Board⁵ (Chapter 2) defines biodiesel as, “a drop-in diesel alternative, made from domestic, renewable resources such as plant oils, animal fats, used cooking oil, and even new sources such as algae.” EERE's definition is “A biodegradable transportation fuel for use in diesel engines that is produced through the transesterification of organically derived oils or fats.” “Fatty acid esters” are termed as biodiesel in the chapter titled Biodiesel Production. Chapter 27 of this book states that “biodiesel” is generally used for mono-alkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids as an alternative to petroleum diesel that can be used as blends in diesel engines.

Biomass: Note that many definitions of terms depend on how the term “biomass” is defined. EERE defines biomass as, “an energy resource derived from organic matter.” FAO defines biomass as, “a material of biological origin excluding material embedded in geological formations and transformed to fossil.” The first chapter of this book defines biomass as “recently living biological material and animal wastes.”

Fuel Specifications: Depending on the regulations in a region or a country, fuel specification standards may vary. For instance, as described in Chapter 28, the U.S. specification for biodiesel is ASTM D6751, and the European specification is EN 14214. The key difference between the two is that the former applies to the fatty acids extraction via any type of alcohol (e.g., methanol, ethanol), whereas the latter applies to the extraction of fatty acids only via methanol.

The modified definitions of these terms are often used in deriving specific terms, for example, the chapter 4 on wood energy defines, wood bioenergy as “energy created from the direct or indirect conversion of biomass from trees and woody shrubs.” Similarly, definitions of bioenergy options from first, second, and third-generation of biofuels can be derived.

First, second, and third generations of biofuels

Biofuels are categorized in the first chapter as follows:

First-generation biofuels—produced from oils, sugars, and starches originating in food crops.

Second-generation biofuels—produced from nonfood crops such as perennial grasses and woody materials, and nonfood portions of food crops.

Third-generation biofuels—produced from algae that can produce multifold times higher yields.

According to the Biomass Research and Development Board, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Department of Energy 1 described the three generations of feedstocks as follows:

• First generation feedstocks include corn for ethanol and soybeans for biodiesel. These feedstocks are currently in use and their yields have been increasing.

• Second generation feedstocks consist of the residues or “left-overs” from crop and forest harvests. They show much promise for near-term adoption with the development of cellulosic conversion technologies.

• Third generation feedstocks are crops which require further R&D to commercialize, such as perennial grasses, fast growing trees, and algae. They are designed exclusively for fuels production and are commonly referred to as “energy crops”. They represent a key long-term component to a sustainable biofuels industry.

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¹ http://go.uvm.edu/7y1rr.

² http://www.fao.org/energy/befs/definitions/en/.

³ ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/j4504e/j4504e00.pdf.

⁴ http://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/full-text-glossary.

⁵ http://www.biodiesel.org/.

Chapter 1

Introduction to Bioenergy

Carol L. Williams¹, Anju Dahiya^2,3, and Pam Porter^{4 1}Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA ²University of Vermont, USA; GSR Solutions, USA ³GSR Solutions, Burlington, VT, USA ⁴Environmental Resource Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA

Abstract

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of bioenergy and its related issues. The geographic focus is North America (the United States, in particular), although much of the information presented is applicable to other regions and countries, with the exception of policy. The discussion is...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• List of Contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• How to Use this Book: Helpful Suggestions
• Part I. Bioenergy—Biomass to Biofuels: An overview
• Part II. Wood and Grass Biomass as Biofuels
• Part III. Biomass to Liquid Biofuels
• Part IV. Gaseous Fuels and Bioelectricity
• Part V. Conversion Pathways for Cost-Effective Biofuel Production
• Part VI. Biofuels Economics, Sustainability, Environmental and Policy
• Quizzes and Self-Test Questions
• Index