Biomass Energy Development Research Articles

Promotion of Renewable Energy Technologies in Sub-Sahara Africa via Biomass Energy Technology

There are various biomass energy technologies with imbalanced application status spread all over Sub-Sahara Africa. Currently, some biomass technologies have been developed maturely in the market such as biogas, that can be economically competitive, commercially developed, and applied in large scale, while other technologies are in the early stage of commercial applications, that need subsidies and other financial incentives to encourage them in the market. These include biomass power, biomass pallet fuel, biofuels from non-grain feedstock, etc. There are also many emerging biomass technologies which are at R&D and demonstration stage and are expected to develop into industrial and commercial applications, such as biological ethanol fuel from cellulose and biodiesel from oil plants. Due to the differences in terms of technology maturity, development stage, market competitiveness, and future perspectives of the various biomass technologies, the obstacles can be different, the needed incentives also vary. It is an important task for Sub-Sahara African Countries to study and design a biomass energy development program to ensure implementation of the region’s biomass energy development objectives. The biomass energy development program in Sub-Sahara Africa should include assessment of various biomass technology status and objectives, development of approaches in biomass technology research and development, pilot projects, demonstration, and application promotions, and identify supporting incentives in techniques and regulations.

A Continuous Hydrothermal Saccharification Approach of Rape Straw Using Dilute Sulfuric Acid

The fossil fuel crisis in the world has raised much concern on developing biomass energy. Fermentable sugars are an important product which can be converted to bioethanol. Although sulfuric acid saccharification is a good method for breaking lignocellulose biomass, efficiency is not well-promoted in dilute acid, as many fermentation inhibitors are co-produced. A continuous saccharification approach was established in this study to reach high saccharification efficiency and low toxicity of reducing sugar (RS). The dilute H2SO4 was taken as flow phase in this process with temperature gradient elevation. Each sample of 250 ml was taken when temperature elevated from 60 to 230 °C (temperature interval 20–30 °C). Under optimum conditions, the maximum RS yield ratio reaches 53.4 %. Furfural is detected in the hydrolysate, with a concentration less than 1.06 g/l. The optimized saccharification conditions were achieved at a flow rate of 25 ml/min and with H2SO4 concentration at 1.0 %. Operation parameters were investigated including acid flow rate and acid concentration. The composition of rape straw is analyzed, and the material balance is studied in the optimized conditions. In addition to SEM, FT-IR analysis techniques are used, and the results show that the hemicellulose and cellulose in the rape straw can be fully converted to RS, while the change in lignin amount is negligible. This method is a novel and promising technique for high yield of RS, as it is accompanied with a low content of bio-inhibitor.

木质纤维素预处理技术研究进展

随着我国乃至全球能源短缺状况日益严重，开发可再生能源成为大家关注的重点。近年来将木质纤维素转化为燃料乙醇，逐渐成为了生物质能源开发与利用中的焦点。而木质纤维素预处理是其生物转化过程中的关键步骤之一，本文综述了物理法、化学法、物理化学法和生物法四大预处理技术原理及效果，并对木质纤维素预处理技术的发展方向作了展望。As China even the global energy shortage is worsening, the development of renewable energy has become the point of everyone’s attention. In recent years, the lignocellulose into fuel ethanol has become the focus in the development and utilization of biomass energy. The lignocellulose pre-treatment is one of the key steps in the process of its biotransformation. This paper reviews the methods and effects of four principal pretreatment technologies of physical, chemical, physi-co-chemical and biological, and discusses the development direction of lignocellulose pretreatment technologies.

Marginal Land-Based Biomass Energy Production in Yellow River Delta

Energy crops are not only the key to the development of biomass energy, but also canpromote the improvement of saline and other marginal land and mprove the utilization efficiency.The rural biomass energy utilization status and characteristics of different energy crops and researchstatus in Yellow River Delta was introduced; Castor, switchgrass and sweet sorghum grown inmarginal land feasibility are discussed; Finally, the several suggestions of to promote biomassenergy and local marginal land development have been proposed.

Analysis on Biomass Resources and Potential of Developing Biomass Energy in Yunnan Province

As one of a agricultural provinces of China, Yunnan has abundant biomass resources such as crops straw, wood wastes and so on. However, the exact annual output of biomass resources has not been statistically calculated. Through carefully collecting and recalculating data from 2000 to 2008 year, the accurate main crops straw yield of Yunnan were calculated by using the Straw to Product Ratio (RPR) coefficient of different crops in this paper. Yunnan produced some 23 million tons of crops straw per year. The three largest contributions to the total output of crops straw were from corn, sugarcane and rice, which amounted to 39%, 28% and 16% of the total crops straw respectively. This paper analyzed the present status of utilization of biomass in Yunnan and proposed that more than 60% of crops straw were burnt in the field at present, which has caused serious environmental pollution. There was still 19 million tons of biomass from agriculture, forestry and flower industry each year can be used as biomass energy resources, which was equivalent to about 9.5 million tons of standard coal, and can provide about 2.76 × 1014KJ biomass energy.

Comparing centralized and decentralized bio-energy systems in rural China

Under the dual pressures of an energy crisis and rising greenhouse gas emissions, biomass energy development and utilisation has become part of the national energy strategy in China. The last decade has witnessed a strong promotion of both centralised and decentralised bio-energy systems in rural China. The government seems to have a strong preference for centralised (village-based) bio-energy systems in recent years. However, these government-driven systems have not worked without difficulties, particularly regarding economic and technological viability and maintenance. Studies on the advantages and disadvantages of decentralised and centralised bio-energy systems are rare. This study aims to shed light on the performances of these two systems in terms of social, economic and environmental effects. Through interviewing local officials and village leaders and surveying farmers in 12 villages in Shandong Province, it was found that bio-energy systems should be selected based on the local circumstances. The diversity of the local natural, economic and social situations determines the size, place, technology and organisational model of the bio-energy system.

Introduction to special issue on bioenergy markets

Many technical studies related to the development of biomass energy have been conducted. However, for technical solutions to contribute to economic development, they must be accepted in the market. Furthermore, improved knowledge on biomass supply and policy effects is critical in facilitating an increased flow from source to end user. The special issue “Bioenergy markets” contains ten articles which give new insight into the importance of the behaviour of market agents, the function of markets, and biomass supply. It also sheds light on the challenges of both competition between fuel-related and other uses of biomass and competition between biomass and other energy solutions. Moreover, it illustrates the importance of environmental factors and the role of policy in this area.

Spatial planning framework for biomass resources for power production at regional level: A case study for Fujian Province, China

Effective spatial planning is crucial for cost-effectively and sustainably developing biomass energy resources due to the diffuse nature of biomass and high transportation cost. Using the spatial analysis technology, economic models and scenario analysis, this paper presents a spatial planning framework to identify the appropriate developing areas of biomass energy at regional level. The methodology is applied in a case study of Fujian Province, China. Firstly, spatial distribution of two kinds of biomass resources and the technical potential, i.e. the amount of power generation from agricultural and forestry residues in each supply area, were estimated by incorporating the spatial data and the statistical data. The results indicate that total technical potential of agricultural and forestry residues is estimated at 25.13TWhy−1, equivalent to approximately 19% of total electricity consumption in Fujian in 2010. In the second step, the economic analysis assesses the cost of biomass generation for each supply area on the basis of current market conditions. Ranking of the supply areas is then performed by using the priority development index (PDI), which can measure the priority of each biomass supply area by combining several influencing indicators. Finally, the selection of supply areas for power plants can be carried out according to its order in PDI until the total planed capacity in the region is met. The priority of the subregions and the corresponding cost of biomass generation for different planning scenarios can be explicitly visualized. The methodology can be applied to a wide area and can support the local authorities to define and implement a strategy for future biomass energy development.

Toward a Sustainable Energy Development Strategy from the Perspective of Food Security: Challenges and Opportunities for China

Abstract: China's energy security situation is increasingly severe. There are many challenges and opportunities in the energy development sector. Bio—fuel has much superiority: abundant resources, product diversification, recycling and increasing rural income. Speeding up bio—fuel development should be a strategic direction for China. In this study we evaluate the relationship between bio—energy utilization and food security using the grey relational analysis method. The results show that China' s biomass energy development has caused little negative impact on food security as determined by agricultural production. However, that does not mean China's bio—energy can develop in an unrestricted way. Developing bio—energy requires the consideration of many factors, including large investment in the short term and fierce competition from biomass supply.

Using Backcasting Methodology in Decision-Making of Biomass Energy Development

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a methodology-Backcasting for policy makers in renewable energy development, with expect to enable the development of an alternative strategy and the facilitation of a more flexible and responsible policy agenda. Take biomass energy domain as a case to explain the application of this methodology, and multiple factors should be taken into account. The study indicates that China’s renewable energy is still in the transition period from research and development to industrial production, and the effective, scientific and timely decision-making from government policy makers is utmost crucial to the healthy development of renewable energy industry in China because it regulates the development path of this innovative industry. It is an innovation to link biomass industry development with urbanization strategy in China rural area in the long run.

Application Status and Development Strategies of Biomass Energy in China

Biomass energy is abundant on earth, inexhaustible renewable energy only. Development and utilization of biomass energy is one important way to solve the world's energy and environmental issues. Development of biomass energy application technology has become a world focus. In this paper, we summarized the development and utilization technologies of biomass energy, reviewed the status of biomass energy utilization at home and abroad, analyzed the situation facing and problems existing in utilization of biomass energy development at home and proposed development strategies of biomass energy. In order to ensure China's energy "independence" and "security", we must develop practical biomass energy development strategies consistent with China's national conditions; promote vigorously the development and utilization of biomass energy technology industrialized and effort to improve our level.

A Biomass Energy Route for Refineries from a Low-Carbon Perspective

Refineries are major CO2emitters, so it is imperative for them to conserve energy and reduce CO2emissions; biomass is undoutedly of great significance to alleviate the dual pressures resulting from energy crisis and emissions constraints. This paper, by analyzing emission reduction potential of our national petrochemical enterprises and the three main emissions reduction measures-Fuel alternative, carbon utilization and process optimization-taken by refineries in China, proposes that, under the dual pressures from energy crisis and greenhouse effects, importance should be attached to the development and utilization of biomass energy and new refining systems suitable for biomass energy should be built; what’s more, three proposals are suggested for setting up them, including establishing new refining system at remote areas to ensure the adequate supply of raw materials, and creating matched power generation system and new device structure for biomass characteristics. Thereby, a major breakthrough can be made to ease the energy crisis, to truly achieve the aim of energy conservation and “Eat the grass and produce the milk”.

Low-Temperature Carbonization and More Effective Degradation of Carbohydrates Induced by Ferric Trichloride

The present work is devoted to an attempt to understand the effect of an inorganic salt such as ferric trichloride (FeCl(3)) on the carbonization and degradation of carbohydrates such as β-cyclodextrin (CD), amylose, and cellulose. Our data revealed two important observations. First, the presence of FeCl(3) led to the occurrence of a low carbonization temperature of 373 K. This is a rare phenomenon, in which carbonization improvement is present even if a small amount of FeCl(3) was added. Experimental results had provided evidence for the fact that a redox process was started during the low-temperature carbonization of β-CD, causing the reduction of FeCl(3) to ferrous chloride (FeCl(2)) by carbon materials formed in the carbonization process in air. However, the reduction process of FeCl(3) produced the in situ composite nanomaterial of Fe-FeCl(2) combination in nitrogen. Second, a molecule-ion interaction emerged between FeCl(3) and the carbohydrates in aqueous solution, resulting in a more effective degradation of the carbohydrates. Moreover, our results demonstrated that FeCl(3) played the role of a catalyst during the degradation of the carbohydrates in solution. We believe that the current work not only has a significant potential application in disposal of waste carbohydrates but also could be helpful in many fields such as environmental protection, biomass energy development, and inorganic composite nanomaterials.

Study on Biomass Energy Utilization

In the rapid economic development today, the sources of energy and environmental issues have become increasingly prominent. At present, out country adopted a series of measures to improve the resources supply capacity, include to vigorously develop renewable energy. With the development and utilization of biomass energy has been paid close attention. This paper establishes three comprehensive evaluation models on biomass energy utilization’s potential applications in the region, using the method of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, hierarchical weight analysis and factor analysis by means of MATLAB, SAS software. According these models we analyze biomass energy utilization’s development prospect and geographical distribution and expound several suggestions on adjustment of biomass energy utilization status in China.

The Research of Heilongjiang State-Owned Forest Area Biomass Energy Development Model

The biomass energy developmental strategy pattern is a basic logic frame that leads Heilongjiang state-owned forest area constructs core competitiveness, it had decided the basic mode and the way of Heilongjiang state-owned forest area long-term development, as well as the foundation of establishing the long-term competitive advantage in the biomass energy developing process. This article uses the super efficiency DEA analytic method to appraise the achievements of 40 forestry bureau development biomass energy in Heilongjiang state-owned forest area, finally indicated: choosing Heilongjiang characteristic biomass energy dual gradient developmental strategy pattern, and this pattern could coordinate the level of development of the high and low gradient region, prioritizing biomass energy source, advancing the coordinated development of energy, the economy, environment in Heilongjiang state-owned forest area, finally achieving the goal of sustainable development of the forestry.

The Current State and Future Strategy for Utilizing Biomass Energy in Beijing

In recent years, the biomass energy industry has become an important part of the construction of “Green Beijing” and has begun to grow. This paper analyzes the resource availability, present situation, and existing problems with biomass energy in Beijing. In addition, it examines the advantages and disadvantages of developing biomass energy in Beijing, and proposes future development strategies. The findings are: 1) developing and utilizing biomass energy effectively and appropriately in suburban Beijing to improve livelihoods and the environment; 2) making full use of the technological, knowledge, and information advantages in Beijing by building an R&D base for biomass energy technologies; and 3) funds and technology should be transferred externally to establish a biomass energy industry base in regions outside of Beijing.

L’Eucalyptus en France : une espèce remarquable pour la production de biomasse

Les Eucalyptus occupent une place très importante dans les reboisements à l’échelle mondiale, en raison de leur rapidité de croissance et de la qualité de leur fibre. Très utilisée dans l’industrie papetière, cette matière première intéresse les industriels français depuis longtemps. Dans les années 1970, un programme de recherche mené par l’AFOCEL, aujourd’hui FCBA, a été mis en place pour choisir les espèces et les modes de culture les mieux adaptés au climat du Sud de la France. Les meilleures variétés sont capables d’excellentes productions dans des conditions de station peu favorables, et souvent impropres à l’agriculture. Une gamme de clones tolérant des niveaux de froid plus ou moins importants est aujourd’hui proposée au reboiseur. Une cartographie des zones potentielles de développement a été réalisée en tenant compte des contraintes pédologiques et climatiques. Les plantations à vocation papetière occupent actuellement près de 2 000 ha sous la forme de taillis à courte rotation (TCR). Le développement des marchés de l’énergie à partir de biomasse ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour l’Eucalyptus en France, mais le coût d’installation des boisements doit être abaissé. Les TCR sont une réponse possible pour la constitution d’une ressource forestière de bois d’industrie ou de bois énergie en France. Ces plantations doivent s’insérer de manière durable dans leur milieu et dans leur contexte territorial.

Determining the dynamic of energy consumption in rural Heilongjiang Province from ecological footprint

为了解黑龙江省农村能源消耗及效益, 将生态足迹指标应用于农村能源消耗评价中，研究1998~2007 年间黑龙江省农村能源利用动态。结果表明: 10 年间各类能源利用都明显增加, 其中电力和沼气增加最为明显,其人均消费量分别由1998 年的183.51 kWh 和0.001 m³ 增加到2007 年的279.03 kWh 和2.445 m³; 对应的能源人均生态足迹也均呈增加趋势, 从1998 年的0.278 9 hm² 增加到2007 年的0.549 8 hm²，其中电力和沼气生态足迹增加明显高于其他能源类型, 这种趋势与我国农电政策的变化和对农村生物质能源扶持政策有关。能源生态效益不断增加, 从1998 年的2 472.34 元·hm^-2 增加到2007 年的5 192.58 元·hm^-2, 表明资源利用效率明显增加，但仍有增加的空间。农村能源消耗不断增加, 政府应从政策、资金等方面调节农村能源消耗, 扶持各类可再生能源利用技术, 加强农村生物质能源利用管理, 并通过新技术进一步提高能源生态效益。

Present Utilization Analysis and Development Countermeasures on Biomass Energy in China

Abstract Biomass energy is drawing more and more attention from the community because of its renewable characteristics. The article has analyzed the position of biomass energy development and utilization in China. At the same time, the article has studied the main problems inherent in biomass energy development and utilization in China and introduced special proposals and policies.

Chemical constituents of Bulbophyllum odoratissimum

0009-3130/10/4605-0787 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 1) Department of Chemistry, fax: +86 871 5516061, e-mail: ygchen48@gmail.com; 2) Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, Ministry of Education, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650092, China; 3) School of Life Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650031, China. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 664–665, September–October, 2010. Original article submitted May 5, 2009. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, Vol. 46, No. 5, 2010