Biomass Plants

Resources, Opportunities, and Constraints

Resources

Soil & Water Quality Improvement

Health Benefits

Potential Resources

Potential Resources

TAREK ALSHAAL

Biofuels

•First-generation biofuels:

'First-generation' or conventional biofuels are made from sugar, starch, or vegetable oil.

•Second-generation (advanced) biofuels:

Second-generation biofuels are produced from sustainable feedstock. Many second-generation biofuels are under development such as Cellulosic ethanol, Algae fuel, biohydrogen and biomethanol

What is BIOMASS?

Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy this is often used to mean plant based material, but biomass can equally apply to both animal and vegetable derived material.

Categories of biomass materials

There are five basic categories of material: Virgin wood, from forestry, arboricultural activities or from wood processing Energy crops: high yield crops grown specifically for energy applications; - Short rotation energy crops - Grasses and non-woody energy crops - Agricultural energy crops - Aquatics (hydroponics) Agricultural residues: residues from agriculture harvesting or processing Food waste, from food and drink manufacture, preparation and processing, and post-consumer waste Industrial waste and co-products from manufacturing and industrial processes.

Advantages of Agriculturally-based Biomass Resources

Energyutilization of sustainable resources – sustainable energy balance

Environmentaldecreased CO2, SOx, and mercury emissionsimproved localized air qualityimproved water qualitypotential for carbon sequestration

Economicimprovement of foreign trade balance

Securitydecreased petroleum dependence

Environmental Advantages of Energy Crops

Rainfall and wind soil erosion reductionHerbaceous energy crops provide excellent

continuous cover significantly reducing surface rainfall impact and wind forces

Surface runoff reductionHerbaceous energy crops have extensive

root systems allowing for greater infiltration (decreased risk of flooding)

Nitrogen and agricultural chemical mitigationHerbaceous energy crops use less nitrogen,

phosphorus, and agricultural chemicals than

conventional commodity crops

Increased soil organic carbonExtensive root system of switchgrass allows for carbon sequestrationSwitchgrass for renewable energy purposes provides a “psuedo closed-carbon” loop → significant reduction in the greenhouse gas CO2

Restoration of marginal lands

Topsoil Completely Eroded from Rainfall Erosion

Marginal Lands in Need of Restoration

Perennial Biomass PlantsMany factors that disqualify land for annual cropping

may not apply to perennial crops!

Environmental Advantages of Perennial Biomass ProductionExposure to wind and water erosion occurs primarily during establishment of annual crops is minimized with perennials

Perennials can provide N fixation, decrease in rainfall erosion impact, and provide windbreaks

Perennial Biomasses could reduce NPS pollution while also providing a return to the landowner through alternative energy production (double-benefit)

Energetic Advantages of Perennial Biomass ProductionSince the living plant, instead of the processing plant, adds the energy benefit, the energy ratio (ER) will be higher

Castor (SW KS & TX)

Chinese Tallow Tree

Giant reed Miscanthus

ConstraintsAgricultural Biomass Resource & Production

Issues

Land Resourcearable versus non-arable – crops & production competing uses and cost/benefit

Environmental Concerns production versus soil quality (soil erosion)water quality water resourcesoil tilth & carbon cycle

Quantity of Sustainable Resource

Others?

Potential Renewable Energy and Environmental/Pollution Credit Markets

for Agriculturally-based Biomass Resources

Renewable Energy Credits and Environmental/Pollution Trading Markets

Sale of end-use energies derived from bioenergy

Air emission credits for CO2, SOx, NOx, mercury

Water quality/pollution trading (sediment, nutrient and chemical savings)

Example modeled cumulative, 24-year soil erosion (total tons) comparison between switchgrass and four conventional commodity crops on two major soil types in Pottawatomie county, Kansas.

Soil Type Switchgrass Corn Soybeans Wheat Grain Sorghum

Pawnee 0.34 30.28 33.42 11.21 33.54 Clime 0.77 68.87 76.98 27.86 76.93

1.071.081.041.101.091.13After

0.980.981.001.001.021.02Before

K2O (%)

0.0870.0880.0850.0910.0780.067After

0.0380.0380.0390.0390.0410.041Before

P2O5 (%)

0.2180.2070.2120.2240.1960.235After

0.1800.1800.1750.1750.1700.170Before

N (%)

3.023.033.003.052.973.28After

2.972.972.802.802.682.68Before

Carbon (%)

4.024.013.984.013.954.00After

4.014.014.004.003.913.91Before

pH

Guinea 3 Trichanthera gigantea

Guinea 2Sugar CGuinea 1Flemingia macrophylla

Parameters

Nutrient status of soil before planting biomass crops and 20 months later

Nguyen et al., 2000:Workshop-seminar "Making better use of local feed resources" SAREC-UAF, January , 2000

Switchgrass grown for bioenergy:Soil carbon storage in 5 years: 0-30 cm

Phytoremediation

• Phytoremediation is the use of plants, trees and herbaceous species to eliminate or degrade contaminants or reduce their bioavailability in both water and soil.

• Many chemical species that can be treated with phytoremediation techniques, which comprise– heavy metals– organic compounds such as pesticides,

solvents, and other persistent pollutants (PCB´s)

PHYTOEXTRACTION OF HEAVY METALS

The most common heavy metals are:Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn

Are often very toxic to living organisms over a certain concentration threshold

HYPERACCUMULATOR SPECIESRepresent <0,2% of all angiosperms

~400 species are hyperaccumulators

HYPERACCUMULATION THRESHOLDS: Zn, Mn: 10 000 mG/KG

Co, Cu, Ni, Se: 1 000 mG/KG Cd: 100 mG/KG

These thresholds are 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than in normal plant species

WHICH PLANT SPECIES FOR PHYTOEXTRACTION?

Alyssum serpyllifolium

Brassica juncea

Liriodendron tulipifera

Pteris vittata

Thlaspi caerulescens

HYPERACCUMULATOR SPECIES &

PHYTOREMEDIATION PLANTS

Pteris vittata

* nd : Nt Determine

Soils IDCd Cd Pb Pb

Before Nem Autok. Autoc. Before Nem Autok. Autok.

DGS 0,12 0,06 0,04 4,50 0,60 0,66

DAS 0,12 0,00 0,04 3,86 0,64 0,70

KNS 0,22 0,04 0,06 1,46 0,56 0,50

KCS 0,18 0,00 0,04 1,06 0,36 0,38

KIS 0,28 0,06 0,08 3,44 0,52 0,44

KNS+KIS nd 0,06 0,02 nd 0,36 0,38

Available concentrations of soil heavy metals after Arundo donax planting (mg/kg)

Soil

Soils IDFe Fe Ni Ni

Before Nem Autok. Autok. Before Nem Autok. Autok.

DGS 58,00 7,82 7,38 1,84 0,40 0,50

DAS 32,00 6,70 3,92 1,08 0,42 0,42

KNS 52,00 9,84 6,98 1,20 0,46 0,32

KCS 36,00 8,32 8,40 0,84 0,28 0,22

KIS 74,00 14,14 9,90 0,50 0,32 0,26

KNS+KIS nd 10,08 8,06 nd 0,38 0,30

Advantages of Phytoremediation

• Cost effective when compared to other more

conventional methods.• “nature” method, more aesthetically pleasing.• minimal land disturbance.• reduces potential for transport of contaminants by wind, reduces soil erosion• hyperaccumulaters of contaminants mean a much smaller volume of toxic waste.• multiple contaminants can be removed with the same plant.

Economic potential

Based on Kruger et al., 1997, non-bio-based remediation technology cost:

in situ: $10 to $100 / m3 ex situ: $30 to $300 / m3

Specialized techniques such as in situ vitrification can easily surpass $1000/m3.

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Raskin and Ensley, 2000

Raskin and Ensley, 2000

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