Handling Of Biomass Research Articles

Advancing safe bioenergy production from cadmium-contaminated sweet sorghum through mild synergistic pretreatment

Phytoremediation is an eco-friendly and cost-effective method for treating cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soil. However, safe disposal of harvested hyperaccumulators remains scarce. Herein, a mild synergistic pretreatment combining dilute acid and alkali pretreatment was developed for safe biorefining of the Cd-containing sweet sorghum, and Cd was centrally extracted into the acid pretreatment liquid in the first step. The results showed that the synergistic pretreatment was more effective in removing Cd from the biomass and overcoming biomass recalcitrance. During the synergistic pretreatment, the Cd concentration in biomass dramatically decreased from 4.03 to 0.00626 mg/kg, and a considerable amount of lignin and hemicelluloses in biomass was removed, facilitating enzymatic saccharification and safe bioenergy production. The optimal conditions of the synergistic pretreatment resulted in a total sugar yield of 81.6 wt %, which was 4.7-fold higher than that of the original biomass. This strategy holds promise for reducing the cost of industrial saccharification and is a valuable inspiration for the safe handling and resource utilization of Cd-containing biomass.

The challenges of using lignocellulosic biomass in pioneer industrial plants

AbstractTo use residual biomass in industrial plants it is necessary to fulfill conditions that have proven challenging when developing production processes based on renewable sources. Relatively recent efforts to produce second‐generation ethanol (2GE) have led to some caveats regarding obstacles that can arise in the large‐scale conversion of residual lignocellulosic biomass to biofuel. Even after years of research to develop technological packages that would make the production of 2GE feasible, the first plants installed could not operate continuously within the design, and they failed to meet market expectations. By interviewing managers from the 2GE pioneer plants, the research reported in this paper identified the methods used by the 2GE pioneers, from decision‐making processes to startup and plant operation. Analyzing the challenges they faced and their relationships with innovation processes, it found that industrial handling of lignocellulosic biomass was the main reason for the relative operational failure of the pioneer 2GE production plants. It also found that changes of policy and lack of efficient communication between the equipment suppliers and the users might also lead to the failure of the pioneer plants. Based on these findings, this paper considers the significance of these projects for biobased industries using lignocellulosic biomass in pioneer plants. The conclusions suggest that filling the knowledge gap related to the industrial handling of lignocellulosic biomass, as well as understanding that new relationships between biorefineries and their equipment suppliers may generate new paths for innovation processes, should be fundamental for the implementation of first‐of‐a‐kind plants within the scope of bioeconomy.

Pyrolysis of pellets prepared from groundnut shell and crude glycerol: in-situ utilization of pyro-gas and characterization of products

During biodiesel production process crude glycerol (a polyol) is obtained as a by-product. In this paper, an effort has been made for using it for pellet production from groundnut shell. Three types of pellets containing 20 wt%, 40 wt% and 60 wt% crude glycerol were prepared. Palletisation led to easy handling of biomass and also increases energy density. Furthermore, characterisation of prepared pellets was performed and subsequently, pyrolized. An increase of volatile matter from 72.45 wt% to 85.18 wt% in pellets was noted with addition of glycerol. Pyrolysis of glycerol containing pellets was carried out in batch (0.5kg) scale along with in-situ circulation of generated pyro-gas. Bio-oil yield increased from 30 wt% to 41 wt% in batch scale as glycerol content increased from 0 wt% to 60 wt%. Pyrolysis products were thoroughly characterised to understand the effects of crude glycerol addition. Calorific value of bio-char was increased from 20.89 MJ/kg to 23.67 MJ/kg as glycerol content increased. Calorific value of bio-oil was 32.66 MJ/kg. The pyro-gas produced was utilized to heat the pyrolysis reactor. Pyro-gas yield increased from 28 wt% to 32 wt% in batch scale as glycerol content increased. In-situ utilization of pyro-gas led to ~ 17% electricity saving.

Dust and Particulate Matter Generated during Handling and Pelletization of Herbaceous Biomass: A Review

Using straw and herbaceous crops to replace or augment fossil fuels is becoming popular as access to forest biomass becomes environmentally stricter and more expensive. The low bulk density raw biomass is pre-processed and densified into pellets to facilitate handling and use. Dust is generated during collection, baling and debaling, grinding, drying, and densifying processed herbaceous biomass. Abundant literature deals with dust generated during the industrial handling of woody biomass, grains, and other crops like cotton. But the information on handling herbaceous biomass in the open literature is scarce. This paper reviews the available literature on dust generation from handling and processing of herbaceous biomass. Limited available data shows that herbaceous biomass species have a lower ignition temperature than woody biomass. The paper identifies several crucial pieces of information needed to ensure safety in the handling and pelleting of herbaceous crops.

Bi-objective optimization of forest-based biomass supply chains for minimization of costs and deviations from safety stock

• Developed a bi-objective optimization model for forest-based biomass supply chain. • Incorporated practical considerations related to biomass safety stock in the optimization model. • Minimized the total cost and the deviations from the desired safety stock and derived their tradeoffs. • Applied the bi-objective model to a real case of producing syngas at a pulp mill. • Cost savings could be achieved by allowing deviations from the desired safety stock. Bioenergy from forest-based biomass could reduce fossil fuel dependency, GHG emissions, and generated wastes. However, the inherent complexity, uncertainty, and high cost of forest-based biomass supply chains could hinder the economic viability of bioenergy projects. The supply chain activities including transportation, storage, handling, and preprocessing of biomass are interdependent and require proper planning. Therefore, in previous studies, mathematical programming models were developed to plan and optimize the biomass supply chain activities. In this paper, a bi-objective optimization model is developed for tactical planning of the forest-based biomass supply chains in order to determine the trade-offs between the total costs and the possible deviations from the safety stock. The first objective is to minimize the upstream supply chain costs, and the second objective is to minimize the negative deviations of monthly inventory from the safety stock. The decision variables include the optimal monthly biomass flows, preprocessing, and inventory levels. The model is applied to the case of a biomass gasification at a Kraft pulp mill in British Columbia, Canada. The output of the model is a set of Pareto optimal solutions, which shows the trade-offs between the objectives of cost and safety stock deviation. This approach has the potential to assist the decision makers by providing a set of solutions to opt from based on their preferences and their attitude towards supply disruption risk. The results indicate a maximum of 18% cost savings is possible if the inventory level deviates from the safety stock. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to assess the impact of variations in the biomass availability and cost, and feedstock demand on the Pareto optimal solutions. According to the sensitivity results, feedstock demand is the most sensitive parameter.

Rice straw (Oryza sativa L.) biomass conversion to furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, lignin and bio-char: A comprehensive solution

A sustainable, easy to operate, scalable, and chemically pre-treatments free method has been explored for rice straw (RS) biomass conversion to furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), lignin and bio-char production. Initially, the RS was dipped into liquid nitrogen in a thermos flask and grinded easily to fine powder for better handling of biomass under reaction conditions in a reactor. The process also reduces the volume of biomass and enhances the surface area of RS biomass which was further analysed by SEM, TEM, IR, TGA and DSC, and further validated by its fruitful conversion to furfural, 5-HMF, lignin and bio-char synthesis in satisfied yields. The developed acidic process was performed at 130 °C for 6 hrs under a closed reaction system in reflux conditions. The ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) purity of furfural and 5-HMF was measured to >90% without additional purification technique. Moreover, the method was also examined in 250-gram scale and found to perform well.

Physical and thermo-chemical characterization of agricultural residues and municipal waste

Characteristics of crop residues such as size, angle of repose, colour and density, calorific value, percentage of moisture content and chemical composition affect the production of bio-fuels. These properties also affect drying and handling of biomass and the design of thermal conversion systems. These characteristics can vary noticeably from waste to waste. In this study, four local varieties of rice straw (Nabina, Tamapasara, Swarnaand NuaAchharmati), sugarcane bagasse, coconut coir and vegetable waste were characterized. Study revealed that the sugarcane bagasse has the darker color, higher particle density (384.66 kg.m-3) compared to others tested biomass. Sugarcane bagasse contained highest percentage 82.7% of volatile matter followed by coconut coir, vegetable waste and rice straw. Rice straw variety Nabina has shown the highest calorific value 22.98 MJ/kg compared to Tamapasara, Swarna and NuaAchharmati and can be utilized for biofuel production.

Biomass Availability in Europe as an Alternative Fuel for Full Conversion of Lignite Power Plants: A Critical Review

Biomass has been demonstrated as a capable source of energy to fulfill the increasing demand for clean energy sources which could last a long time. Replacing fossil fuels with biomass-based ones can potentially lead to a reduction of carbon emissions, which is the main target of the EU climate strategy. Based on RED II (revised Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EU) and the European Green Deal, biomass is a promising energy source for achieving carbon neutrality in the future. However, the sustainable potential of biomass resources in the forthcoming decades is still a matter of question. This review aims at estimating the availability of biomass for energy reasons in the EU, and to evaluate its potential to meet the coal power plant capacity of the main lignite-producer countries, including Germany, Poland and Greece. Plants in line with the sustainability criteria of RED II have been selected for the preliminary estimations concerning their full conversion to the biomass power concept. Furthermore, the various barriers to biomass utilization are highlighted, such as the stranded asset risk of a future coal phase-out scenario, biomass supply chain challenges, biomass availability in main lignite-producer EU countries, the existing full conversion technologies, and biomass cost. A variety of challenges in the scenario of lignite substitution with biomass in a plant are investigated in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Technological risks and issues should be tackled in order to achieve the coal phase-out EU goal, mainly with regard to the supply chain of biomass. In this direction, the development of logistics centers for the centralized handling of biomass is strongly recommended.

Biological Pretreatment by Solid-State Fermentation of Oat Straw to Enhance Physical Quality of Pellets

Pelleting can increase the efficiency of handling and transportation of biomass. Pretreatment obtains lignin fragments by disrupting the lignocellulosic structure of biomass and ensures the high-quality compressed pellets. In this study, solid-state fermentation (SSF) is used as a biological method to improve the quality of pellets of oat straw. SSF of oat straw using Trametes versicolor 52J (TV52J) and Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PC) was conducted. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed by using a four-factor, three-level Box–Behnken design with fermentation time (days), moisture content (%), particle size (mm), and fermentation temperature (°C) as independent parameters. Pellet density, dimensional stability, and tensile strength were the response variables. The optimization options of fermentation time (33.96 and 35 days), moisture content (70%), particle size (150 and 50 mm), and fermentation temperature (22°C) of oat straw pretreated with these two fungal strains were obtained. The microscopic structural changes of oat straw caused by biological pretreatment were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Observation results of SEM showed that the connection between single fibers became relatively loose, and this was beneficial to improve the physical quality of the pellets.

Metal Accumulation by Jatropha curcas L. Adult Plants Grown on Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soil.

Jatropha curcas has the ability to phytoextract high amounts of heavy metals during its first months just after seeding. Notwithstanding, there is scarce information about metal uptake by adult J. curcas plants. To shed light on this issue, 4-year-old J. curcas L. plants were planted in a soil mixture of peat moss and mining soil (high metals content), and the biomass growth and metal absorption during 90 days were compared with those of plants growing in peat moss. The main metal found in the mining soil was Fe (31985 mg kg−1) along with high amounts of As (23717 mg kg−1). After the 90-day phytoremediation, the plant removed 29% of Fe and 44% of As from the soil mixture. Results revealed that J. curcas L. translocated high amounts of metals to its aerial parts, so that translocation factors were much higher than 1. Because of the high translocation and bioaccumulation factors obtained, J. curcas L. can be regarded as a hyperaccumulator plant. Despite the great capacity of J. curcas L. to phytoremediate heavy-metal-contaminated soils, the main drawback is the subsequent handling of the metal-contaminated biomass, although some potential applications have been recently highlighted for this biomass.

Experimental investigation on biochar from groundnut shell in a continuous production system

The burning of crop residue results in numerous environmental issues and also affects human beings. Crop residue has the potential to produce considerable energy and can be converted into biochar via thermochemical routes; this conversion helps in the management and handling of biomass. This study deals with the development of a system for the continuous production of biochar by carbonization of groundnut shells at different temperatures. The developed system is capable of converting different kinds of crop residue into biochar. The carbonization chamber was heated using an industrial burner, and its thermal performance was elevated at 400, 450, and 500 °C using groundnut shell as feedstock, and the amount of time the feedstock resided in the burner was limited to 4 min. The mass yields and heating value of the produced biochar were found to be highest at 400 °C. Therefore, the crop residue converted into biochar and the chemical properties were assessed for this temperature. Biochar conversion efficiency was recorded at about 30%. The oxygen-to-carbon (O:C) and hydrogen-to-carbon (H:C) ratios were found to be 0.08 and 0.40 respectively. The energy required to produce 1 kg of biochar ranged from 3.70 to 4.64 MJ. The benefit-cost ratio and a payback period of the developed system were calculated to be about 1.94 and 11 months, respectively. The internal rate of return was estimated at about 121%. In the present study, the impact of carbonization upon the composition of lignocelluloses and its thermal behavior was also assessed with the help of a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA).

EXPOSURE OF THE BIOGAS STATION OPERATORS WORKING WITH CONTAMINATED BIOMASS.

The article deals with evaluation of irradiation of an operator of a 1MW biogas station (BGS), processing silage plant biomass contaminated by 137Cs and 134Cs. External irradiation and internal irradiation by the means of aerosol particles inhalation were considered. For calculation of the external irradiation, a BGS model was created in the MCNP. The calculated total committed effective doses received by the operator during annual handling of biomass contaminated by 1kBq per kg of 137Cs or 134Cs were 34 or 69μSv, respectively. Three scenarios of contamination were evaluated: freshly contaminated silage after model accident, silage right after the Chernobyl accident and at the current radiation situation in the Czech Republic.

Exergy analysis and kinetic study of tomato waste drying in a mixed mode solar tunnel dryer

ABSTRACT A mixed mode solar tunnel dryer was designed and fabricated for the purpose of drying fruit wastes from food processing industries. The dryer consists of a blower, a solar flat plate collector, a green house chamber with detachable trays for easy handling of biomass and a chimney. Tomato waste was taken as the raw material for the drying process. A 2 kg of tomato waste with initial moisture content of 71.1% (wb) was evenly spread on the surface to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Experimentation was carried out in the geographical location of Vellore, India having 12.91°N latitude, 79.13°E longitude. Equilibrium moisture content of the biomass using mixed mode solar dryer was attained in 7 h while it took 15 h in open solar drying. During the drying operation, the temperature of the dryer varied between 42 and 67°C. Exergy analysis and thin layer drying kinetic studies were conducted for better understanding of the various parameters that influence the drying of tomato waste. The study showed that mixed mode solar drying is an eco-friendly method for mitigation of fruit wastes and it is more effective than open solar drying.

On the Renewable Polymers from Agro-industrial Biomass: A Mini Review

Plant biomass is the most abundant natural resources on earth. However, current strategies for the utilization of agricultural biomass is far from efficient, thus environmental issues related to incompetent management of biomass prevail. Innovative handling of surplus biomass can yield several rewards, which includes renewability and sustainability of the commodity as feedstock for industrial and energy purposes. In fact, an array of different parts of a plant or agro-industrial biomass, for instance, shell, husks, wood, and leaves were successfully converted into advanced carbon materials, for use as absorbent, catalyst enzyme support, electrode, etc. In this review, an extensive literature survey related to areas of renewable sources of biopolymer in both the agricultural and industrial sectors were performed. Information on their industrial value and uses, the fundamentals of their extraction alongside the benefits and major drawbacks of their utilization, are also highlighted. We aim to show that the smart utilization of unwanted agro-industrial biomass encompasses a portion of a bigger scheme that intelligently uses biomass to complement current agricultural advancements that create smart crops and growing them using cleverly designed technology. The best part of this “Waste to Wealth” concept is that every part of the crop is fully utilized. However, a set of clear criteria must be in place to ensure a sustained momentum, so that the green approach of responsible biomass utilization will be fully embraced by nations worldwide.

IMMOBILIZATION DRIED MIX OF ALGAE FOR COPPER REMOVAL

This study was aimed to reveal the effectiveness of Immobilization of biomass (dried mix algae) in the form of bead for the removal of copper ions from synthetic polluted water. Various operational parameters such as pH (2–6), biosorbent dosage (0.5–20 g/L) and initial concentration (10–100 mg/L)The results concluded that a removal efficiency reached up to 90 % , which indicated the fascinated and easiest the handling of biomass. Characterization of the immobilized algae was determined by the Scanning electron microscope with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (SEM- EDX). The result reveals that the equilibrium time can be reached within 60–80 min. Experimental data were compiled well with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm with R2 = 0.97 and 0.93, respectively.

Surface contamination of impervious areas on biogas plants and conclusions for an improved stormwater management

Biogas plants are an important technology for the intended shift towards energy production from renewable resources. But the handling of biomass in open silo facilities can create heavily polluted stormwater with severe impacts on the environment if discharged directly. The purpose of this study on a biogas plant in North-East Germany is to i) identify the main pollution sources, ii) quantify the surface specific pollution potential and iii) derive consequences to mitigate the environmental impact of stormwater from biogas plants. Two main pollution sources were identified: i) silage effluent, mainly occurring on the silo surfaces and ii) substrate losses along the transport paths. The surface specific pollution potential of COD, N and P was measured for characteristic subareas applying wet vacuum cleaning. The accumulation of pollution on the cover foil was very low, whereas the range of daily accumulation on the actively operated surface varied between 8.3 and 41.7 gCOD/(m2·d). The pollution built-up is a highly stochastic process influenced by many factors (handled substrate, operational practice, meteorological conditions). Daily sweeping can significantly reduce the pollution potential for stormwater but cannot avoid the requirement of treatment prior to a discharge into a surface water.

A Web-Based Tool for Energy Balance Estimation in Multiple-Crops Production Systems

Biomass production systems include multiple-crops rotations, various machinery systems, diversified operational practices and several dispersed fields located in a range of distances between the various facilities (e.g., storage and processing facilities). These factors diversify the energy and cost requirements of the system. To that effect, assessment tools dedicated a single-crop production based on average standards cannot provide an insight evaluation of a specific production system, e.g., for a whole farm in terms of energy and cost requirements. This paper is the continuation of previous work, which presents a web-based tool for cost estimation of biomass production and transportation of multiple-crop production. In the present work, the tool is extended to additionally provide the energy balance of the examined systems. The energy input includes the whole supply chain of the biomass, namely crop cultivation, harvesting, handling of biomass and transportation to the processing facilities. A case study involving a real crop production system that feeds a biogas plant of 200 kW was selected for the demonstration of the tool’s applicability. The output of the tool provides a series of indexes dedicated to the energy input and balance. The presented tool can be used for the comparison of the performance, in terms of energy requirements, between various crops, fields, operations practices, and operations systems providing support for decisions on the biomass production system design (e.g., allocation of crops to fields) and operations management (e.g., machinery system selection).

Optimization of biological pretreatment to enhance the quality of wheat straw pellets

Pelleting increases the efficiency of handling and transportation of biomass for conversion into biofuels either through biochemical or thermochemical process. Pretreatment of biomass makes lignin fragments accessible by disrupting the lignocellulosic structure, and ensures the production of high-quality pellets. In this study, biological pretreatment using solid-state fermentation (SSF) was investigated as a means to improve the quality of pellets produced from wheat straw. SSF of wheat straw using Trametes versicolor 52J (TV52J), T. versicolor m4D (TVm4D) and Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PC) were conducted. Response surface methodology was employed by using a four-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design with moisture content (% mass fraction of water), hammer mill screen size used for chopping wheat straw (mm), fermentation time (days) and fermentation temperature (°C) as process parameters. Pellet density, dimensional stability and tensile strength were the response variables. The fermentation temperature significantly affected all the responses. The optimization options of moisture content (70% mass fraction of water), hammer mill screen size (50–52.8 mm) and fermentation temperature (22–22.1 °C) of wheat straw with pretreatment using the three fungal strains were very similar. The optimized fermentation time of wheat straw pretreated with PC was the longest at 35 days; the shortest at 21 days was for wheat straw pretreated with TV52J. The microscopic structural changes induced by microbial pretreatment were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that the combination between single fibers became relatively loose, and the connection was never tight which was advantageous to improve the physical quality of the compressed pellets.

Biomasa residual : alternativa técnica y ambiental en el proceso de generación termoeléctrica

El siguiente artículo presenta los resultados del análisis técnico (basado en la cantidad exergía) y ambiental realizado en una planta termoeléctrica de 50MWe nominales, localizada al sur del estado de Santa Catarina – Brasil, diseñada para operar con carbón pulverizado y adaptada para operar en proceso co-firing carbón - biomasa residual. Además de la planta termoeléctrica, el estudio consideró una frontera extendida que involucró los procesos relacionados con la obtención, transporte y manipulación tanto del carbón como de la biomasa. El análisis exergético siguió lineamentos de la segunda ley de la termodinámica; mientras que el análisis ambiental se realizó siguiendo la metodología de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV), considerando 1 MWh como unidad funcional y la categoría de impacto calentamiento global, mediante el método IPCC 2007 GWP 100 años. Para ambos casos (operación sólo con carbón y en co-firing) el análisis exergético indicó que la planta termoeléctrica responde por más del 95% del total de la exergía consumida. Para el análisis ambiental, los resultados indicaron que para el caso de operación sólo con carbón, son emitidos 1230 kg de CO por MWh, mientras que para la operación en co-firing, con una participación de hasta 10% de biomasa en base energética, el valor efectivo de la emisión fue de 1103 kg de CO por MWh.

Investigating gas emissions and dry matter loss from stored biomass residues

Biomass is considered a renewable and eco-friendly source for conversion into bioenergy. The objective of this paper is to investigate the gas emissions and dry matter loss during storage for better management and handling of biomass. Experiments were conducted using Douglas fir residues for a range of temperatures under non-aerobic and aerobic conditions. Results showed that the CO2 emission from the mixed chips and greens was an order of magnitude greater than the wood chips. CO2 emissions from the aerobic reactors exhibited similar trends as the non-aerobic reactors with respect to the effect of temperature. Similar types of volatile organic compounds were detected from the chips and the mixed materials. Total gas emissions from the aerobic reactors were higher than the non-aerobic reactors. Dry matter loss and gas emissions was found to be positively correlated, reaffirming that gas emission is an important factor leading to dry matter loss of stored biomass residues.