Biomass Transportation Distance Research Articles

Life Cycle Assessment of a Wood Biomass Gasification Plant and Implications for Syngas and Biochar Utilization

The growing attention regarding the environmental challenges in the energy sectors pushes the industrial system toward the investigation of more sustainable and renewable energy sources to replace fossil ones. Among the promising alternatives, biomass is considered a valid source to convert the system and to reduce the fossil fraction of the national energy mixes, but its multiple potential uses need an environmental evaluation to understand the actual benefit when it is used as an energy resource. For this purpose, life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to a wood biomass gasification system aimed to produce electricity and heat generated after the combustion of the produced syngas and the management of the biochar. The aim is to provide a quantitative comparison of (i) a baseline scenario where wood biomass is sourced from waste and (ii) a second scenario where wood biomass is drawn from dedicated cultivation. A further evaluation was finally applied to investigate the environmental implications associated with the biochar composition, assuming it was used on land. The proposed strategies resulted in an environmental credit for both the examined scenarios, but the outcomes showed a net preference for the baseline scenario, resulting in better environmental performances for all the examined categories with respect to the second one. It underlines the potentialities of using waste-sourced biomass. However, according to the Climate Change category, if on-site dedicated biomass cultivation is assumed for the second scenario, the baseline is considered preferable only if the biomass transportation distance is <600 km, which is estimated as a theoretical distance for scenarios to break even. Finally, biochar composition proved a particular concern for toxicity-related categories. This study highlights the importance of applying objective and standardized methodologies such as LCA to evaluate energy production systems based on alternative sources and to support decision-making toward achieving sustainability goals.

Investigating biochar as a net-negative emissions strategy in Colombia: Potentials, costs, and barriers

Biochar is identified as a land-based mitigation technology (LMT) and a net-negative emissions technology (NET) with significant potential for mitigating climate change and providing co-benefits. Transforming residual biomass into biochar can potentially avoid CO2 emissions to be rapidly released to the atmosphere. This study aims to assess the sustainability of biochar production in Colombia as a NET. The research consists of five steps, literature review, expert elicitation, estimation of agricultural residues for biochar production, evaluation of biochar's CO2 mitigation potential, and techno-economic analysis of biochar under different biomass availability and technologies scenarios. Our findings indicate that approximately 10% of agricultural residual biomass can be transformed into biochar and reintegrated into the soil. Over a 100-year period, each tonne of biochar in the soil has the potential to avoid emissions of 1 to 2.2 t of CO2eq. Cost-wise, biochar production cost structure depends on the pyrolysis technology used. The cost structure of biochar production depends on the pyrolysis technology used. We find that raw feedstock represents the main cost component, ranging from 64% to 74% of total costs for artisan-made equipment, and 33% to 34% for specialized pyrolysis equipment. Capital investments, fixed costs, and raw feedstock account for the remaining costs. Our results highlight that the net present value (NPV) is most sensitive to biomass transport distance, biomass price and biomass humidity. Our findings can be used internationally for navigating the production, mitigation potentials, costs, and barriers of biochar, and devising deployment and market creation strategies.

Wood bioenergy for rural energy resilience: Suitable site selection and potential economic impacts in Appalachian Kentucky

Improving energy resilience, especially for rural communities, is a political, economic, and ecological priority, involving shifting energy portfolios away from fossil fuel dominance, reducing the environmental footprint of energy production and transmission, and localizing production and supply systems. In the Appalachian region, bioenergy systems, especially those involving woody biomass, may be key to improving energy resilience. However, because of its low population density and rugged topography, the region presents challenges to implementing biomass-based energy systems. This study was designed to identify critical infrastructure sites in Appalachian Kentucky with sufficient regional woody biomass supply to support reliable electricity generation. First, spatial analysis prioritized optimal biomass transportation distance, identifying 19 critical infrastructure sites in a region with feedstock supply suitable for a 100kWh unit, 4 of which were suitable for a 2MWh production unit. Second, economic analysis suggests that implementation of a woody biomass-based energy system in this region could have overall positive economic impacts. Future studies should elucidate in greater detail the local and regional economic impacts at each candidate site identified in this analysis, considering additional costs such as start-up and maintenance, and theoretical policy and incentive frameworks such as carbon emissions targets and subsidies.

Total environmental impacts of biofuels from corn stover using a hybrid life cycle assessment model combining process life cycle assessment and economic input-output life cycle assessment.

Studies on the environmental analysis of biofuels by fast pyrolysis and hydroprocessing (BFPH) have so far focused only on the environmental impacts from direct emissions and have included few indirect emissions. The influence of ignoring some indirect emissions on the environmental performance of BFPH has not been well investigated and hence is not really understood. In addition, in order to avoid shifting environmental problems from one medium to another, a comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts caused by the processes must quantify the environmental emissions to all media (air, water, and land) in relation to each life cycle stage. A well-to-wheels assessment of the total environmental impacts resulting from direct emissions and indirect emissions of a BFPH system with corn stover is conducted using a hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) model combining the economic input-output LCA and the process LCA. The Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) has been used to estimate the environmental impacts in terms of acidification, eutrophication, global climate change, ozone depletion, human health criteria, photochemical smog formation, ecotoxicity, human health cancer, and human health noncancer caused by 1 MJ biofuel production. Taking account of all the indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the net GHG emissions (81.8 g CO2 eq/MJ) of the biofuels are still less than those of petroleum-based fuels (94 g CO2 eq/MJ). Maize production and pyrolysis and hydroprocessing make major contributions to all impact categories except the human health criteria. All impact categories resulting from indirect emissions except eutrophication and smog air make more than 24% contribution to the total environmental impacts. Therefore, the indirect emissions are important and cannot be ignored. Sensitivity analysis has shown that corn stover yield and bio-oil yield affect the total environmental impacts of the biofuels more significantly than the biomass transportation distance and biofuel transportation distance. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:139-149. © 2017 SETAC.

Modelling a Dynamic Forest FuelMarket Focusing on Wood Chips: A Spatial Agent-based Approach to Simulate Competition among Heating Plants in the Province of Carinthia, Austria

Sustainability and renewable resources are attracting increased attention in the energy supply sector. This paper elaborates on the application of agent-based modelling methods to simulate forest fuel markets and supply chains. More precisely, it aims to simulate the market for wood chips for heating purposes, based on a sustainable forest growth and yield model, in conjunction with cognitive agents that act in the market. In the agent-based model, three types of agents are defined: forest owners (supply), biomass heating plant (demand), and ‘traders’, connecting supply and demand. Forest enterprises can decide on forest operations based on the state of the forest fuel market – e.g. considering the price for wood chips. Each biomass heating plant has an associated ‘trader’ that tries to fulfil the demand for forest biomass while minimizing the transport distances and the cost for the wood chips. The paper discusses the results of a simulation scenario in the Province of Carinthia, Austria. The simulation results are analysed with respect to space and time concerning biomass transport distance, transport patterns and remaining biomass stock.

Land requirements, feedstock haul distance, and expected profit response to land use restrictions for switchgrass production

Energy crop production has been proposed for land of poor quality to avoid competition with food production and negative indirect land use consequences. The objective of this study was to determine the land area requirements, biomass transportation distance, and expected profit consequences of restricting switchgrass biomass production, for use as biofuel feedstock, to marginal land relative to unrestricted land use. The USA soils capability classification system was used to differentiate between high quality land and land of marginal quality. Fifty years of historical weather data were used in combination with a biophysical simulation model to estimate switchgrass biomass yield distributions for land of different quality for counties in the case study region. A mathematical programming model was designed and solved to determine the economic consequences. For the levels of biofuel price considered ($0.50, $0.75 and $1.00/L), and a 262.5ML/year biorefinery modeled, restricting land use to marginally productive capability Class IV soils, increases the quantity of land optimally leased by 42 to 52%; increases biomass trucking total transportation distance by 115 to 116%; and reduces the expected net returns by $11 to $15M/year compared to when land use is unrestricted. In the absence of government restrictions, for-profit companies are not likely to limit energy crop production to land of marginal quality.

Environmental, energy and economic analysis of a biomass supply chain based on a poplar short rotation coppice in Spain

This paper provides an environmental, energy and economic analysis of a biomass supply chain based on an experimental poplar plantation grown as a Short Rotation Coppice in Southern Spain. The investigation was based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology, considering two harvesting technologies and including a sensitivity analysis on the effect of transportation distance. The results show that harvesting was the most significant life cycle phase both in terms of environmental damage and economic costs, primarily due to the strong energy demand of the machinery employed in these activities. Transportation had a comparatively lower environmental and economic significance than harvesting, although the effect of this operation increased rapidly with distance. Agricultural operations related to the use of fertilizers and herbicides were found to have a limited effect on the economics of the system but they had a notable impact on certain midpoint categories relating to human and environmental toxicity, eutrophication and acid emissions. Normalized LCA results point to agricultural land occupation as the most affected environmental category of the system. The bioenergy supply system was highly energy efficient with a Cumulative Energy Demand and a Net Energy Ratio determined at 29.1 MJ/GJ and 34.0, respectively. Poplar collection by chip harvesting was less energy intensive and was more benign to the environment. The results also show a linear relationship between biomass transportation distance and impact values in all midpoint LCA indicators. Biomass collection by chip harvesting was more cost-effective than bale harvesting, while transportation costs were decisive in the economic viability of the system. However, in the conditions assumed, current wood chip prices are too low to make this project economically viable in Spain. This conclusion may be different for other locations that have reduced rental costs for land, lower irrigation needs or improved biomass production yields.

A proposal for pellet production from residual woody biomass in the island of Majorca (Spain)

The use of residual biomass for energy purposes is of great interest in isolated areas like Majorca for waste reduction, energy sufficiency and renewable energies development. In addition, densification processes lead to easy-to-automate solid biofuels which additionally have higher energy density. The present study aims at (i) the estimation of the potential of residual biomass from woody crops as well as from agri-food and wood industries in Majorca, and (ii) the analysis of the optimal location of potential pellet plants by means of a GIS approach (location-allocation analysis) and a cost evaluation of the pellets production chain. The residual biomass potential from woody crops in Majorca Island was estimated at 35,874 metric tons dry matter (t DM) per year, while the wood and agri-food industries produced annually 21,494 t DM and 2717 t DM, respectively. Thus, there would be enough resource available for the installation of 10 pellet plants of 6400 t·year−1 capacity. These plants were optimally located throughout the island of Mallorca with a maximum threshold distance of 28 km for biomass transport from the production points. Values found for the biomass cost at the pellet plant ranged between 57.1 €·t−1 and 63.4 €·t−1 for biomass transport distance of 10 and 28 km. The cost of pelleting amounted to 56.7 €·t−1; adding the concepts of business fee, pellet transport and profit margin (15%), the total cost of pelleting was estimated at 116.6 €·t−1. The present study provides a proposal for pellet production from residual woody biomass that would supply up to 2.8% of the primary energy consumed by the domestic and services sector in the Balearic Islands.

A Geographical Information System (GIS) based methodology for determination of potential biomasses and sites for biogas plants in southern Finland

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyse the spatial distribution and amount of potential biomass feedstock for biomethane production and optimal locations, sizes and number of biogas plants in southern Finland in the area of three regional waste management companies. MethodsA Geographical Information System (GIS) based methodology, which also included biomass transport optimisation considering the existing road network and spatially varied biomass sources, was used. Kernel Density (KD) maps were calculated to pinpoint areas with high biomass concentration. ResultsThe results show that the total amount of biomass corresponds to 2.8TWh of energy of which agro materials account for more than 90%. It was found that a total of 49 biogas plants could be built in three case regions with feedstock available within maximum transportation radius of 10 or 40km. With maximum of 10km biomass transportation distance, the production capacity of the planned plants ranges from 2.1 to 8.4MW. If transportation distance was increased to 40km, the plant capacities could also increase from 2.3 to 16.8MW. ConclusionsAs demonstrated in this study, the studied GIS methodology can be used for identification of the most suitable locations for biogas plants by providing the tools for e.g. transportation routes and distances. Practice implicationsThe methodology can further be used in environmental impact assessment as well as in cost analysis.

GIS-BASED location optimization of a biomass conversion plant on contaminated willow in the Campine region (Belgium)

The Campine region is diffusely contaminated with heavy metals like cadmium. Since traditional excavation techniques are too expensive, phytoremediation is preferred as a remediation technique. In a previous study, the biomass potential from phytoremediation of contaminated agricultural land in the Campine region in Belgium was assessed. Based on recently upgraded figures of willow potential from phytoremediation on agricultural land in the seven most contaminated municipalities of the Belgian Campine region, the current paper uses GIS-knowledge to investigate which of three previously identified locations is most suitable for a biomass plant, taking into account the spatial distribution of the contaminated willow supply and the total cost of willow transport.Biomass transport distance from the centroid of each contaminated agricultural parcel to each of the three potential biomass plant locations was determined following Euclidian distance calculations and distance calculations over the existing road network. A transport cost model consisting of distance fixed and distance dependent biomass transport costs was developed.Of the locations identified, the Overpelt Fabriek site results in the lowest biomass transport distance and costs. When willow allocation for each parcel occurs based on the nearest potential plant location, transport costs are on average 23% lower than when all biomass is transported to the single Overpelt Fabriek site location. Therefore, when only considering transport costs, installing a smaller plant at each of the three potential plant locations would be less expensive than when installing a single biomass plant at the Overpelt Fabriek site.

Environmental and economic analysis of the fully integrated biorefinery

AbstractCellulosic biofuel systems have the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the world's transportation energy requirements. However, realizing this potential will require systems level thinking and scale integration. Until now, we have lacked modeling tools for studying the behavior of integrated cellulosic biofuel systems. In this paper, we describe a new research tool, the Biorefinery and Farm Integration Tool (BFIT) in which the production of fuel ethanol from cellulosic biomass is integrated with crop and animal (agricultural) production models. Uniting these three subsystems in a single combined model has allowed, for the first time, basic environmental and economic analysis of biomass production, possible secondary products, fertilizer production, and bioenergy production across various regions of the United States. Using BFIT, we simulate cellulosic ethanol production embedded in realistic agricultural landscapes in nine locations under a collection of farm management scenarios. This combined modeling approach permits analysis of economic profitability and highlights key areas for environmental improvement. These results show the advantages of introducing integrated biorefinery systems within agricultural landscapes. This is particularly true in the Midwest, which our results suggest is a good setting for the cellulosic ethanol industry. Specifically, results show that inclusion of cellulosic biofuel systems into existing agriculture enhances farm economics and reduces total landscape emissions. Model results also indicate a limited ethanol price effect from increased biomass transportation distance. Sensitivity analysis using BFIT revealed those variables having the strongest effects on the overall system performance, namely: biorefinery size, switchgrass yield, and biomass farm gate price.

Life Cycle Assessment of Second Generation Bioethanols Produced From Scandinavian Boreal Forest Resources

SummaryThe boreal forests of Scandinavia offer a considerable resource base, and use of the resource for the production of less carbon‐intensive alternative transport fuel is one strategy being considered in Norway. Here, we quantify the resource potential and investigate the environmental implications of wood‐based transportation relative to a fossil reference system for a specific region in Norway. We apply a well‐to‐wheel life cycle assessment to evaluate four E85 production system designs based on two distinct wood‐to‐ethanol conversion technologies. We form best and worst case scenarios to assess the sensitivity of impact results through the adjustment of key parameters, such as biomass‐to‐ethanol conversion efficiency and upstream biomass transport distance. Depending on the system design, global warming emission reductions of 46% to 68% per‐MJ‐gasoline avoided can be realized in the region, along with reductions in most of the other environmental impact categories considered. We find that the region's surplus forest‐bioenergy resources are vast; use for the production of bioethanol today would have resulted in the displacement of 55% to 68% of the region's gasoline‐based global warming emission—or 6% to 8% of Norway's total global warming emissions associated with road transportation.

The Impact of Biomass Availability and Processing Cost on Optimum Size and Processing Technology Selection

Biomass processing plants have a trade-off between two competing cost factors: as size increases, the economy of scale reduces per unit processing cost, while a longer biomass transportation distance increases the delivered cost of biomass. The competition between these cost factors leads to an optimum size at which the cost of energy produced from biomass is minimized. Four processing options are evaluated: power production via direct combustion and via biomass integrated gasification and combined cycle (BIGCC), ethanol production via fermentation, and syndiesel via Fischer Tropsch. The optimum size is calculated as a function of biomass gross yield (the biomass available to the processing plant from the total surrounding area) and processing cost (capital recovery and operating costs). Higher biomass gross yield and higher processing cost each lead to a higher optimum size. For most cases, a small relaxation in the objective of minimum cost, 3%, leads to a halving of plant size. Direct combustion and BIGCC each produce power, with BIGCC having a higher capital cost and conversion efficiency. When the delivered cost of biomass is high, BIGCC produces power at a lower cost than direct combustion. The crossover point at which this occurs is calculated as a function of the purchase cost of biomass and the biomass gross yield.

Life cycle assessment of a willow bioenergy cropping system

The environmental performance of willow biomass crop production systems in New York (NY) is analyzed using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The base-case, which represents current practices in NY, produces 55 units of biomass energy per unit of fossil energy consumed over the biomass crop's 23-year lifetime. Inorganic nitrogen fertilizer inputs have a strong influence on overall system performance, accounting for 37% of the non-renewable fossil energy input into the system. Net energy ratio varies from 58 to below 40 as a function of fertilizer application rate, but application rate also has implications on the system nutrient balance. Substituting inorganic N fertilizer with sewage sludge biosolids increases the net energy ratio of the willow biomass crop production system by more than 40%. While CO2 emitted in combusting dedicated biomass is balanced by CO2 adsorbed in the growing biomass, production processes contribute to the system's net global warming potential. Taking into account direct and indirect fuel use, N2O emissions from applied fertilizer and leaf litter, and carbon sequestration in below ground biomass and soil carbon, the net greenhouse gas emissions total 0.68gCO2eq.MJbiomassproduced−1. Site specific parameters such as soil carbon sequestration could easily offset these emissions resulting in a net reduction of greenhouse gases. Assuming reasonable biomass transportation distance and energy conversion efficiencies, this study implies that generating electricity from willow biomass crops could produce 11 units of electricity per unit of fossil energy consumed. Results form the LCA support the assertion that willow biomass crops are sustainable from an energy balance perspective and contribute additional environmental benefits.