NNFCC: The National NonFood Crops Centre

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The National Non-Food Crops Centre
Biomass, Fuel for Thought Challenges and
Opportunities HCF Conference 3rd June 2009 Dr
Jeremy Tomkinson
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Renewable Energy Directive targets

• Mandatory EU target of a 20 share of renewable
  energies in overall energy consumption by 2020.
  This target covers electricity, heat and
  transport fuels.
• National targets for share of renewable
  energies in overall energy consumption. UK
  target is 15 by 2020. This is about 265 TWh.
• Interim targets also set. The UKs interim
  targets are 4.0 for 2011/2012, 5.4 for
  2013/2014, 7.5 for 2015/2016 and 10.2
  2017/2018.

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UK Renewable Energy Strategy

• National Action Plans must be notified to the
  Commission by 30 June 2010, with a forecast
  document six months before.
• UK action plan is the Renewable Energy Strategy.
• In consultation in 2008, Government estimated
  that meeting the overall target would require
  around 32 of electricity,14 of heat and 10 of
  transport fuel to come from renewable sources, as
  against 4.4 and 0.6 in 2006.
• Biomass would account for around 60 of renewable
  heat and around 15 of renewable power. This
  means increasing biomass power from 6 TWh to 18
  TWh and biomass heat from 4 TWh to 55 TWh.

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How the 15 renewable energy target might be met
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Supporting renewable power

• Renewables Obligation main incentive for
  renewable power. Banded RO applies to biomass
  power as follows
• Co-firing 0.5 ROC per MWh
• Co-firing of energy crops, co-firing with CHP,
  energy from waste with CHP, standard
  gasification, standard pyrolysis 1 ROC per MWh
• Dedicated biomass, co-firing of energy crops with
  CHP 1.5 ROC per MWh
• Advanced gasification, advanced pyrolysis, AD,
  dedicated energy crops, dedicated biomass with
  CHP, dedicated energy crops with CHP 2 ROC per
  MWh
• Feed-in tariff for small scale electricity
  generation planned from April 2010.

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Value of biomass for RO and RTFO

• ROC
• 600 kg dry biomass at 30 energy efficiency will
  yield about 1 MWh of electricity
• 35-40 approx sale price
• 55 approx per ROC while only two-thirds of
  Obligation met. Value will drop if and when
  Obligation more nearly met.
• RTFO
• 600 kg of dry biomass at 45 energy efficiency
  will yield about 161 litres of FT diesel (1.5
  MWh)
• 47 approx sale price (29 p/L at 1/L pump price)
• 32 duty differential (until April 2010)
• Buyout up to 24 (161L x 0.15 /L)

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Others feedstocks Food wastes, agricultural
wastes, grains, sugars, oils biomass
end of life materials
thermochemical / biochemical processing
wastes other bio-based feedstocks
Materials Sales e.g. Food packaging, bags, toys,
housewares, bottles, windows, medical
applications, tubing, clothing,
carpets, insulation, coatings, paints, adhesives
fuels energy
materials
Fuel Sales ethanol, synthetic diesel, synthetic
aviation fuel
Direct production of chemical intermediates
Recycle
ethanol, naphtha
chemicals
ethylene derivatives eg HDPE, LDPE, vinyl
acetate, ethyl benzene
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Biomass is made up of 3 complex polymers
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Lignocellulosic Ethanol Technology Overview
Biochemical Route

• 22 technology suppliers
• Abengoa
• Bluefire
• Iogen
• Mascoma
• POET
• Royal Nedalco
• Lignin
• Does not convert to ethanol
• Can be used to
• Provide heat and power
• Make aromatics

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Gasification opens the way for a number of fuel,
energy and chemical production options subject to
feedstock availability
Ref Nexant
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Simplified Second Generation Biodiesel Process
The Biomass to Liquids Concept
Ref Nexant
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2nd Generation Biofuels yield potential

• Biomass to synthesis gas to diesel known as
  Biomass to Liquids (BtL)
• Demonstration Unit operational in Freiberg
  E.Germany
• World Scale plant 200,000tpa in 2013

Biodiesel

• 1,300 litres per hectare diesel equivalent

Bioethanol

• 2,500 litres per hectare diesel equivalent

SunFuel

• 4,046 litres per hectare diesel equivalent

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Key Barrier Cost
Choren
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GHG savings
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Waste to fuels and chems - Ineos

• Biocatalytic conversion from MSW
• Proprietary production of synthesis gas (CO H2)
  from renewable waste element.
• The use of natural bacteria through synthesis gas
  to clean renewable transport fuel valuable
  chemical intermediates such as ethylene
• A relatively low cost high throughput process
  that could drive the high volume segregation of
  MSW, and IC wastes

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Process
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Biomass land requirements

• Biomass wastes
• Prepared municipal wastes, waste wood, commercial
  wastes etc
• High biogenic carbon content (gt90 energy content
  from biomass
• 1 ash free, dry tonne of biomass makes 315kg or
  400 litres of clean bioethanol
• Minimum plant requirement 150 kTa prepared
  biomass
• Can generate up to 85GWh heat and power
• Decouples biofuel production from food production
  
• Avoids and LUC and iLUC issues
• 10-20 acre footprint depending on plant capacity

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Advantages

• gt 90 greenhouse gas savings vs. petrol /
  gasoline
• Potential for bioethanol to be cheaper than
  petrol
• Decouples biofuel production from food production
  
• Provides energy in addition to fuel
• High diversion of biodegradable wastes from
  landfill
• Wastes generated locally converted to clean fuel
  for local use
• Simple, energy-efficient process
• Best available bioethanol and organic waste
  treatment technology
• Avoids land use

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Anaerobic Digestion
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Wastes or Feedstocks

• Food Waste 16-18Mt/y
• 6.7Mt/y household
• 4.1Mt/y industrial
• 4.6Mt/y food service supermarkets
• 1 3 Mt/y other commercial agricultural
•  
• 4 times our body weight / year
• 1 tonne food waste 300kWh electricity based on
  37 efficiency
• Potential 5 TWh electricity

Figures Courtesy of Wrap
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Feedstock Potential
Source Andersons, 2008
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Supporting renewable heat

• Some grant aid, e.g. Low Carbon Buildings
  Programme.
• CHP supported by the RO. But remains problem of
  finding a use for the heat in the locations where
  power is generated.
• Renewable Heat Incentive planned from April 2011.
  This will be a tariff mechanism to reward the
  production of useful renewable heat, including
  the generation of biogas and biomethane.

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Gas grid

• Gas sent to 7 reception points from 100
  offshore fields. LNG delivered by sea to the
  Isle of Grain.
• The National Transmission System feeds gas to
  power stations, large industrial consumers and
  the Local Distribution Zones (LDZs) that supply
  consumers.
• The 12 LDZs are managed within 8 distribution
  networks. Four of these are owned by National
  Grid, the others by Scotia Gas Networks, Wales
  and West Utilities and Northern Gas Networks.

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Opportunity for the South Bank

• Large regional potential for developing food
  waste collection and energy crop provision
• Captive market for heat and power
• Soon to be increasing e.g. Vivergo, Vireol
• Highly efficient CHP already in place
• Direct Biomethane gas injection into gas
  corridor
• Huge reduction in capex if no grid linkage
  required
• Efficiencies can exceed 75 with modern CCGT
  systems

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Summary

• Lignocellulosic technologies are developing
  around the world currently moving from pilot
  stage to demonstration stage.
• First larger commercial scale plants should
  appear in first half of next decade
• Feedstocks
• A variety of feedstocks are available in the UK
• There are generally not enough feedstocks of a
  single type
• Multifeed processes must be considered
• Use of imports
• MSWs are currently the largest resource but are
  limited by
• Heterogenity
• Moisture content
• Pretreatments may be necessary

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Conclusions

• Value chains based on renewable materials already
  developing
• Advanced Fuels beginning to emerge. New green
  waste segregation protocols needed within each
  region.
• Needs demonstration to show how these new sectors
  can operate within the large scale fuel and
  energy world.
• Huge potential for sustainable development and
  energy production

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Thank you
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