Biomass Energy Utilization Research Articles

Study on the Mechanism of Gas Component Release for Biomass Pyrolysis

Biomass energy utilization can solve the contradiction between economic development and energy and environment. Biomass pyrolysis technology is not only one of the thermochemical conversion technologies, but also the necessary stage of biomass gasification, which has become a hot academic research topic. Firstly, based on the pyrolysis experimental data of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, the analytical expressions of pyrolysis gas mass yields of different biomass components varying with temperature were obtained; then, the prediction of pyrolysis products was obtained by mass component superposition method, and the correction coefficient of biomass pyrolysis gas yield model was obtained based on the comparison between the average yield of biomass pyrolysis gas and the predicted value of pyrolysis products; finally, the gas release mechanism model of biomass pyrolysis was obtained. This study provides theoretical basis and technical support for the development of biomass utilization technology.

Adaptive resource management strategies in paper and pulp industry: a discrete-event simulation approach

In Paper and Pulp (P&P) industry resource management scenarios, such as processing cell(s) efficiency reduction, equipment break-down or failures, alternative energy source (biomass and solar energy) utilization/ synchronization with regular energy sources and management decided change in production rate or product quality often occur in industrial processes causing material flow disruption, energy and production losses. In such scenarios, immediate and appropriate actions are required to be taken to minimize energy and production losses. Emerging resource management options tackle these issues through four different ways i.e., by mixing of readymade pulp at various processing stages, by varying the percentage of input raw material, by adopting a parallel utilization of alternative energy sources and by switching on/off some processing units or parallel working segments. These ways are implementable with immediate effect, accurately monitorable and their degree of application can be regulated within a wide range, thus denoted as adaptive solutions.This research work proposes a discrete-event simulation based real-time resource management technique for paper and pulp industry, wherein some resource management challenges are addressed and solved strategically with adaptive solutions. The presented examples validate that using the developed approach, the effective adaptive strategy can be timely planned to resolve occasionally or permanently happening resource management challenges ensuring an un-interrupted material flow throughout the plant along with the minimization of productivity and energy losses.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Biomass Energy Utilization through Gasification Technology for Sustainable Energy Production and Economic Development in Nigeria

Nigeria has not been able to provide enough electric power to her about 200 million people. The last effort by the federal government to generate 6000 MW power by the end of 2009 failed. Even with the available less than 6000 MW of electricity generated in the country, only about 40% of the population have access to the electricity from the National Grid, out of which, urban centers have more than 80% accessibility while rural areas, which constitute about 70% of the total population, have less than 20% of accessibility to electricity. This paper addresses the possibility of meeting the energy demand in Nigeria through biomass gasification technology. The techno-economic analysis of biomass energy is demonstrated and the advantages of the biomass gasification technology are presented. Following the technical analysis, Nigeria is projected to have total potential of biomass of about 5.5 EJ in 2020 which has been forecast to increase to about 29.8 EJ by 2050. Based on a planned selling price of $0.727/kWh, the net present value of the project was found to be positive, the cost benefit ratio is greater than 1, and the payback period of the project is 10.14 years. These economic indicators established the economic viability of the project at the given cost. However, economic analysis shows a selling price of $0.727/kWh. Therefore, the capital investment cost, operation and maintenance cost, and fuel cost can be reduced through the development of the gasification system using local materials, purposeful and efficient plantation of biomass for the energy generation, giving out of financial incentives by the government to the investors, and locating the power plant very close to the source of feedstock generation.

Current Research and Prospect of Biomass Pyrolysis Reactor

Energy shortages and environmental damage have become serious problems facing the society today. Biomass can be a renewable energy source, which large-scale development and utilization are of great significance to industry and social life. Biomass pyrolysis technology can achieve effective utilization of biomass energy. It is necessary to optimize the pyrolysis reaction technology and device for realize the industrialization and large-scale production of biomass energy.

Hydrogen-rich syngas produced from co-gasification of wet sewage sludge and torrefied biomass in self-generated steam agent

A synergistic scheme of co-gasification of wet sewage sludge and torrefied biomass was proposed in order to get the hydrogen-rich syngas, which could avoid the dual energy input for drying of wet sewage sludge and steam generation. Co-gasification behavior of wet sewage sludge and torrefied biomass was evaluated by using a general non-stoichiometric thermodynamic equilibrium model developed based upon the Gibbs free energy minimization. The tenary plot of CHO system was used to evaluate the theoretical carbon formation performance at thermodynamic equilibrium state. The effects of mixing ratio and torrefaction severity on carbon conversion ratio, compositions of dry syngas, and H2 yield were also addressed. High mixing ratio of wet sewage sludge and high gasification temperature were required for the high carbon conversion ratio. The gasification temperature of 1100 K was a favorable level for the H2 yield and energy input. The optimal mixing ratio range of wet sewage sludge for low and middle temperatures torrefied biomass samples was between 30% and 40%, while that for high temperature ones was approximately 55%. This work could provide a feasible technical route and basic data for the resource and energy utilization of sewage sludge and biomass.

Thermodynamic and economic assessment of a novel CCHP integrated system taking biomass, natural gas and geothermal energy as co-feeds

The combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system based on biomass, geothermal energy and fossil energy contributes to less fossil fuel-dependent, alleviate the climate change and improve the flexibility of integrated system. Therefore, this paper presents a novel combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system based on biomass, natural gas and geothermal energy. The CCHP system consists of an air-biomass gasification subsystem, steam turbine electricity generation subsystem, gas turbine electricity generation subsystem, waste heat utilization subsystem and ground source heat pump subsystem. The thermodynamic and economic analysis of proposed system are investigated, and the influences of some key operating parameters (gas mass ratio and flue gas split ratio) and economic factors (such as biomass and natural gas price, interest rate, operating time coefficient and service life) on integrated system performances are also carried out. The results indicate that the introduction of natural gas contributes to improve the overall energy efficiency of proposed CCHP system and reduce the levelized cost of energy significantly. In the case study (gas mass ratio: 0.5, flue gas split ratio: 0.5), the overall energy efficiency and electricity generation efficiency of CCHP system can be reached at about 97.05% and 30.89%, respectively; the levelized cost of energy is 0.0315 $/kWh. The proposed system provides a new way for utilization of renewable energy and fossil fuels based poly-generation system, which is a promising approach for the utilization of biomass, natural gas and geothermal energy in the rural of China.

Quantifying uncertainties in greenhouse gas accounting of biomass power generation in China: System boundary and parameters

Systematically quantifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biomass power generation is a prerequisite for robust decision-makings associated with the technology's scale deployment. This study compared the planting-to-wire GHG emissions of a typical corn-stover-based power generation system in China, estimated using one process-based and two hybrid life-cycle assessment (LCA) models. Results showed that emissions calculated by process-based LCA were 11% lower than that of hybrid models because of the truncations on services and accessory equipment. The two tiered hybrid approaches yielded total-supply-chain GHG footprints of material and equipment with a negligible difference (0.7%). The parameter settings varied by time and regions/countries resulted in temporal and spatial uncertainties of process-based LCA at 4%–10% and 0.1%–16% respectively. We proposed adopting hybrid LCA models for footprint calculation because of their strength in comprehensive accounting coverage, less dependence on data acquisition, and reduced temporal and spatial uncertainties. As the GHG footprint of biomass energy utilization is region-specific and determined by multiple factors, such as supply-chain configurations and landscape of power generation technology, results of this study help to understand the uncertainties and trade-offs associated with different LCA model deployments in China, and thus, contribute to advancing the country's biomass power sector moving forward.

Research on biomass energy and environment from the past to the future: A bibliometric analysis

The development and utilization of biomass energy can help to change the ways of energy production and consumption and establish a sustainable energy system that can effectively promote the development of the national economy and strengthen the protection of the environment. Here,we perform a bibliometric analysis of 9514 literature reports in the Web of Science Core Collection searched with the key words “Biomass energy” and “Environment*” date from 1998 to 2017; hot topics in the research and development of biomass energy utilization, as well as the status and development trends of biomass energy utilization and the environment, were analyzed based on content analysis and bibliometrics. The interaction between biomass energy and the environment began to become a major concern as the research progressively deepened. This work is of great significance for the development and utilization of biomass energy to put forward specific suggestions and strategies based on the analysis and demonstration of relationships and interactions between biomass energy utilization and environment. It is also useful to researchers for selecting the future research topics.

Performance of the mixed LED light quality on the growth and energy efficiency of Arthrospira platensis.

The effect of mixed light quality with red, blue, and green LED lamps on the growth of Arthrospira platensis was studied, so as to lay the theoretical and technical basis for establishing a photo-bioreactor lighting system for application in space. Meanwhile, indexes, like morphology, growth rate, photosynthetic pigment compositions, energy efficiency, and main nutritional components, were measured respectively. The results showed that the blue light combined with red light could decrease the tightness of filament, and the effect of green light was opposite. The combination of blue light or green light with red light induced the filaments to get shorter in length. The 8R2B treatment could promote the growth of Arthrospira platensis significantly, and its dry weight reached 1.36gL-1, which was 25.93% higher than the control. What's more, 8R2B treatment had the highest contents of carbohydrate and lipid, while 8R2G was rich in protein. 8R0.5G1.5B had the highest efficiency of biomass production, which was 161.53mgL-1kW-1h-1. Therefore, the combination of red and blue light is more conducive to the growth of Arthrospira platensis, and a higher biomass production and energy utilization efficiency can be achieved simultaneously under the mixed light quality with the ratio of 8R0.5G1.5B.

Selective hydrogenolysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-dimethylfuran over Co3O4 catalyst by controlled reduction

Abstract 2,5-dimethyfuran (DMF), which is produced from 5-hydroxymethyfurfural (HMF) by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), is a high quality fuel due to the high heating value, the high octane number and the suitable boiling point. Selective hydrogenation of HMF into liquid fuel DMF has been widely researched. In this paper, Co3O4 catalyst was prepared by co-precipitation and was reduced at different temperatures to form Co–CoOx catalysts. The characterization of catalysts was tested by XRD, TEM, XPS, TPR, BET and NH3-TPD. Co–CoOx possessed a high amount of Co metal and CoOx acidic sites, wherein Co worked as the active hydrogenation sites and CoOx acted as the acid promoter to facilitate the selective HDO of HMF to DMF. The synergistic effect of Co–CoOx is the key for HDO of HMF, obtaining 83.3% of DMF yield at 170 °C, 12 h and the reduction temperature of 400 °C. This method not only saves the catalyst cost, but also promotes the utilization of biomass energy.

Design and process integration of organic Rankine cycle utilizing biomass for power generation

Indonesia has high potential biomass energy sources from palm oil mill industry activities. The growing interest on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) application to produce electricity by utilizing biomass energy sources are increasingly due to its successfully used for generating electricity from rejected waste heat to the environment in industrial processes. In this study, the potential of the palm oil empty fruit bunch, and wood chip have been used as fuel for biomass to generate electricity based ORC with combustion processes. The heat from combustion burner was transfer by thermal oil heater to evaporate ORC working fluid in the evaporator unit. The Syltherm-XLT thermal oil was used as the heat carrier from combustion burner, while R245fa was used as the working fluid for ORC unit. Appropriate designs integration from biomass combustion unit to ORC unit have been analyzed and proposed to generate expander shaft-work. Moreover, the effect of recuperator on the total system efficiency has also been investigated. It was observed that the fuel consumption was increased when the ORC unit equipped recuperator operated until certain pressure and decreased when operated at high pressure.

Integrated biomass pyrolysis with organic Rankine cycle for power generation

The growing interest on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) application to produce electricity by utilizing biomass energy sources are increasingly due to its successfully used to generate power from waste heat available in industrial processes. Biomass pyrolysis is one of the thermochemical technologies for converting biomass into energy and chemical products consisting of liquid bio-oil, solid biochar, and pyrolytic gas. In the application, biomass pyrolysis can be divided into three main categories; slow, fast and flash pyrolysis mainly aiming at maximizing the products of bio-oil or biochar. The temperature of synthesis gas generated during processes can be used for Organic Rankine Cycle to generate power. The heat from synthesis gas during pyrolysis processes was transfer by thermal oil heater to evaporate ORC working fluid in the evaporator unit. In this study, the potential of the palm oil empty fruit bunch, palm oil shell, and tree bark have been used as fuel from biomass to generate electricity by integrated with ORC. The Syltherm-XLT thermal oil was used as the heat carrier from combustion burner, while R245fa was used as the working fluid for ORC system. Through Aspen Plus, this study analyses the influences on performance of main thermodynamic parameters, showing the possibilities of reaching an optimum performance for different working conditions that are characteristics of different design parameters.

A Critical Analysis on Influential Factors on Power Energy Resources in China

China is facing a number of challenges, such as environmental pollution, energy security, and slowing down of economic growth. China's total energy consumption has been leading the worldwide consumption for several years. China's annual primary energy consumption accounts for more than 90% of total energy consumption, and the country's utilization of wind energy, solar energy, biomass energy, and other new form of energy remains very low. This research has adopted a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis approach to examine the internal and external factors that affect the competitiveness of the energy industry in China. An extensive and critical review of a wide range of literature was conducted, including academic papers, industry reports, statistical data, relevant regulations, and policy documents. Eighteen factors were identified from the literature review. These factors form part of an integrated framework that provides a useful tool for policy makers and the industry to gain a better understanding of the factors that affect the sustainable development of the Chinese energy industry. The results also provide a useful reference for foreign firms that intend to explore the Chinese energy industry market.

Application and Discussion of Dual Fluidized Bed Reactor in Biomass Energy Utilization

As an important clean and renewable energy, biomass has a broad market prospect. The dual fluidized bed is widely used in biomass gasification technology, and has become an important way of biomass high-value utilization. This paper describes the basic principle of dual fluidized bed gasification, from the gas composition, tar content and thermal efficiency of the system point of view, analyzes and summarizes several typical dual fluidized bed biomass gasification technologies, points out the existence of gas mixing, the external heat source, catalyst development problems on gas. Finally, it is clear that the gasification of biomass in dual fluidized bed is of great industrial application and development prospect.

Biomass energy utilization and soil carbon sequestration in rural China: A case study based on circular agriculture

Biogas projects have been promoted by the Chinese government in rural areas for several decades. However, these projects have proceeded slowly under the lack of biogas production technology. A circular agricultural experiment in combination with a local biogas promotion project was carried out in Jiangjiazhuang, a typical agricultural village in China, from 2008 to 2015. Agricultural production proceeded in an agricultural loop: “Crops → Grains/crop residues → Human/cattle → Human/cattle excreta → Biogas digester → Biogas/biogas residues → Domestic fuels/organic fertilizers → Crops.” The abundant crop residues were used as cattle forage to turn the biomass energy into human-edible food. Human/cattle dejecta was used as the substrate to produce biogas for livelihood energy. Biogas digester residues were used as organic fertilizers after composting to improve soil quality and crop yield. The results showed that the proportion of crop residues used for cattle forage increased from 1.3% in 2008 to 86.2% in 2015, while cattle population increased from 3 to 198. The proportion of biogas in total household energy increased from 1.1% in 2008 to 62.3% in 2015. Soil organic carbon increased under organic fertilizer application from 83.8 Mg C hm−2 to 213.5 Mg C hm−2. Our findings demonstrate that the promotion of circular agriculture may effectively enhance the utilization rate of biomass energy (crop residues) and reduce the consumption potential of fossil energy over 50%. Circular agriculture is a sustainable agricultural system that could improve the environmental conditions in rural areas.

Quality assessment of solid biofuel made of sweet sorghum biomass

The present article relates to assessment of energy utilization of sweet sorghum waste biomass as solid biofuel (briquettes). The briquettes were produced from biomass of pure sweet sorghum after juice extraction, mixture of sorghum with wood sawdust (ratio 1:1) and mixture of sorghum with wood shavings (ratio 1:1). Chemical, physical and mechanical properties of produced briquettes were measured in accordance with appropriate standards. The research results showed that the mixed sorghum briquettes with wood shavings have the highest mechanical durability and the lowest ash content; on the other hand, briquettes made of sweet sorghum and wood sawdust havethe best values of all other parameters, including higher calorific values, density, etc. Although addition of residual wood biomass improved the general quality of sorghum based briquettes, it was stated that the briquettes made of pure processed sorghum stalks belong to the category of high quality agricultural solid biofuels. It can be concluded that sweet sorghum is of very good prospects and thus it is a promising biomass feedstock for solid biofuels production (not only for the production of liquid biofuel as it has been used by today and has been known before).

Eksergijska analiza podkritičnog organskog Rankinovog ciklusa za iskorišćenje energije biomase

In this paper, an exergy analysis of the organic Rankin cycle for the utilization of biomass energy with working fluids m-xylene, MDM, toluene and a mixture (toluene/MDM/m-xylene) was carried out in a 33/33/33 ratio. The effects of thermodynamic properties of working fluids and mixtures on ORC performance with the regenerator were analyzed, and the thermodynamic properties of working fluids and mixtures were optimized by the exergy efficiency of ORC as an objective function using a genetic algorithm. The optimal performance values of the ORC cycles are compared and analyzed under the same heat source conditions and defined boundary conditions. The experimental analysis of the ORC shows that biomass energy is more suitable for m-xylene and toluene because compared to MDM (OMTS) and mixture (toluene/MDM/m-xylene) there are more values of exergy efficiency and thus less total exergy losses.

長野県における未利用林地残材のバイオマスエネルギー利用に関する基礎調査 その2 林地・土場における丸太の含水率変化の比較

長野県における未利用林地残材のバイオマスエネルギー利用に関する基礎調査 その2 林地・土場における丸太の含水率変化の比較

Effects of pyrolysis temperature on the physicochemical properties of gas and biochar obtained from pyrolysis of crop residues

Pyrolysis of crop residues is an important method to promote the utilization of biomass energy. Pyrolysis experiments of wheat straw, rice straw, corn stover, rape stalk and cotton stalk were carried out under different temperatures. The results showed that the biochar yields decreased and the gas yields increased from 300 °C to 600 °C. Besides, the proportions of CO2 and CO decreased with temperature. Higher temperatures elevated the proportions of CH4, CnHm and H2 and the higher heating values. With increasing temperature, the biochars showed decreased contents of volatile matter, H, O and (O + N)/C ratios, while increased ash, fixed carbon, C, total P and K contents. The carbon and energy conversion efficiencies of biochars decreased with increasing temperature. Significant differences were observed in the pyrolysis products among different crop residues, and some high correlations were identified among the determination parameters in the gases and biochars. At the same temperature, rice straw had the highest biochar yield, and rape stalk showed the highest gas yield and proportions of CH4, CnHm and H2 among the five crop residues. In addition, rape stalk biochar showed higher C, H and S contents and higher heating value, and cotton stalk biochar exhibited a higher fixed carbon.

Physicochemical Characteristics and TG-DSC Thermodynamics of Municipal Sewage Sludge

The sludge yield of municipal wastewater treatment plant is increasing day by day. The physicochemical characteristics of sludge and its heat treatment characteristics are changing constantly. It is of great significance to explore environmental friendly, technical and feasible sludge treatment and disposal methods with economic benefits, so as to avoid environmental pollution caused by improper disposal of sludge. The waste sludge from a sewage treatment plant in Chongqing was selected as raw material. The physical and chemical indexes of samples and the thermodynamic characteristics of TG-DSC are studied respectively. The results showed that the heat value of sludge samples reached 8090 J/g. The TG curve consists of 3 major stages of thermal weightlessness. There are two exothermic peaks and two endothermic peaks in the DSC curve. The ignition point of sludge in an air atmosphere is 214.5 degrees centigrade. The self -sustained combustion time of the sludge is about 3 minutes. Sludge samples have the prospect of biomass energy utilization.