Energy from Agriculture
T.A. Volk
Advanced Training Workshops in Alternative Energy
SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY
July 29, 2009
Overview
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•
•
•
•
Energy Use in the U.S.
What is Biomass?
Willow Production System
Environmental Benefits
Forest Biorefinery
World Energy Use Patterns
"The environment isn't over here. The environment isn't over there. You
are the environment.”
- Oren Lyons - Faithkeeper, Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation
World Energy Use
Exajoules
World primary energy consumption in 2005 – 462 GJ
U.S. primary energy consumption in 2005 – 100 GJ
Per Capital Primary Energy Consumption
http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/energy_consumption_per_capita_2004
Energy Use in the US
• We use 23% of the world’s energy, but make up
•
•
only 5% of the world’s population
We use about 98 quads of energy
And the sources are………..
–
–
–
–
–
Petroleum – 40%
Coal – 23%
Natural gas – 22%
Nuclear – 8%
Renewables - 7%
History of U.S. Energy Use
(EIA 2007)
Environmental Impacts
Changes in the Artic Ice Sheet
1979
2003
Currently Used Renewables
• How much of energy used in the US comes
from renewables?
– 7%
• What are the main sources of renewable
energy?
Sources of Renewable Energy
(EIA 2007)
Renewable Energy in the U.S.
85% of our
primary
energy
comes from
fossil fuels
{
(EIA 2007)
}
Biomass (42%)
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab - https://eed.llnl.gov/flow/02flow.php)
Wood for Energy in the U.S.
(Bain and Overend, 2002)
What is Biomass?
• Organic material that is available on a renewable or
•
recurring basis
Biomass includes
–
–
–
–
–
Wood from multiple sources
Crops and crop residues
Landfill gas
Animal manure
etc
• Focus on woody biomass because that is the
predominant source of biomass in the region
Biomass Flows in the U.S. Economy
Materials
pulp
Fiber
paper
lumber
plywood
cotton
Process Residues
black liquor
sawdust
bark
Crops, Animals
Food
stalks & straws
harvest residues
Process
Residues
forest slash
bagasse
dung
Biomass
forest harvest for energy
short rotation woody crops
herbaceous energy crops
Source: Overend, NREL
Bioenergy
Consumers
MSW clean fraction
yard trimmings
constr. & demolition
wood
non-recyclable
organics
Energy
Services
heat
CHP
electricity
Biofuels
charcoal
ethanol
hydrogen
National Biomass Supply
• Assessment of
•
whether land
resources in the US
could sustainably
produce over 1 billion
tons of biomass
Enough biomass to
replace about 30% of
the country’s
petroleum
consumption
National Biomass Supply
• Over 1.3 billion dry tons
annually from forest
and agricultural land
that is currently not
being utilized
– 368 million odt from
forests
– 998 million odt from
agricultural land
– 377 odt projected to
come from perennial
energy crops
(Perlack et al. 2005)
National Biomass Supply
Crop Residues
Perennial Crops
Grain to Biofuel
Processing
Residues
0
(Perlack et al. 2005)
500
1000
Crop Residues
Perennial Energy Crops
Forest Resources
• 749 million acres of
forest land
– 504 million acres of
timberland
– 168 million acres of
“other” forestland
that is incapable of
growing 20 ft3 yr-1
Forest Residues
Energy Independence &
Security Act (EISA)
• Modified existing RFS
– Increased volume to 9
Bgal/yr in 2008
• Target is 36 Bgal/yr by
•
2022
Establishes new
renewable fuel categories
and eligibility
requirements
– Includes GHG reduction
thresholds
Comparison of renewable fuel volume
requirements under RFS1 and RFS2
EISA RFS Mandates
35
30
25
>60% GHG reduction
20
>50% GHG reduction
15
10
5
15 billion gallon limit
>20% GHG reduction
for new facilities
20
22
20
20
20
18
20
16
20
14
20
12
20
10
0
20
08
billion gallons per year
40
Biomass Based Diesel
Cellulosic Biofuels
Advanced Biofuels
Conventional Biofuels
Current Ethanol Production
• In 2007 almost 18% of the
•
•
corn crop was used to
produce 6.5 billion gallons of
ethanol (~3.5% of
transportation fuels used in
the U.S.)
Corn to ethanol will supply
about 10 – 15 billion gallons
of ethanol
To reach the goal of 30%
replacement of petroleum
use with biofuels would
require about 60 billion
gallons of ethanol by 2030
Current Ethanol Production
•
Production in 2008 exceeded 9 billion gallons.
Current Ethanol Production
• In 2008 number of
•
•
facilities in
production
increased to 170
with more 20 under
construction
Operating capacity
increased 34%
But market is
volatile
Most of the Recent Corn EtOH Studies Show a Positive
Net Energy Balance
60,000
Wang e t al.
20,000
0
Shapour i e t al.
Wang
Kim &Dale
Gr abos k i
Kim &Dale
De lucchi
Ho
We inblatt e t al.
Ke e ne y&De Luca
Pim e nte l
Pim e nte l
Pim e nte l
Pim e nte l
&Patze k
-40,000
Patze k
-60,000
GR
w/Pi EET
Ass mentel
ump
tion
s
-80,000
Cham be r s e t al.
-100,000
-120,000
1978 1980 1982 1984
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998
2000 2002 2004 2006
Energy balance here is defined as Btu content a gallon of ethanol minus fossil energy used to produce a gallon of ethanol
(Wang 2008)
Net Energy Value (Btu/gallon)
M ar land&Turhollow
-20,000
Agr i. Canada
an
g
Lor e nz&M orr is
NR Canada
Shapour i e t al.
W
40,000
Concern - Food versus Fuel
Debate
• This issue was ranked in
•
•
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the top third in terms of
importance in a survey if
international experts about
the sustainability of biofuels
But it scored very low for
reliability or practicality
Emotionally charged issue
Look at some of the facts
U.S. Cropland Area
 Cultivated land area peaked in 1982
Corn acreage peaked at 113 million acres in 1932
About 93.6 million acres of corn in 2007
Use of U.S. Corn
• Corn exports made
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•
(USDA ERS 2008)
up just under 20%
of the corn crop in
2007
Exports in 2007-08
were about 6%
higher than
previous year
Current RFS limits
ethanol from grain
corn to 15 billion
gallons
U.S. Department of Energy Genome
Programs and provide the website
http://genomics.energy.gov
U.S. Department of Energy Genome
Programs and provide the website
http://genomics.energy.gov
Woody Biomass Feedstocks
Large quantities of
wood residues from
primary and
secondary wood
product
manufacturers are
available
Low value wood
from forests can be
harvested
sustainably
Willow biomass
crops can be grown
on under utilized
open land
New York State Land Cover
Miles
Miles
Legend
00
15
15
30
30
60
60
90
90
120
120
N YS La nd Co ver
W ate r
F orest 19 ,55 7,15 5 a c.
P asture/Ha y 6 ,03 3,5 72 a c.
R ow Cro ps 1,6 94 ,2 29 ac.
Map
Map C
Create
reatedd for
for th
thee Willow
Willow Biom
Biomass
ass Project
Project
Dat
Date:
e: Jun
Junee 14,
14, 2005
2005
NY’s Forest Resources
• 18.5 million acres of forest land
• 15.4 million acres of timberland
New York State Land Cover
– 774 million tons of standing biomass
• NY forest’s are growing three times
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•
Miles
0
Legend
15
30
60
90
120
•
N YS La nd Co ver
W ate r
F ores t 19 ,55 7,15 5 a c.
P asture/Ha y 6 ,03 3,5 72 a c.
R ow Cro ps
1,6 94 ,2 29 ac.
Map C reate d for th e Willow Biom ass Project
Dat e: Jun e 14, 2005
•
faster than they are being harvested
Large decline in pulp and paper
industry in NY
Decades of high grading of NY
forests
Biomass production should provide
an opportunity to improve forest
management, improve forest
structure and health and create jobs
in the rural environment
©The Research Foundation of SUNY 2008
Willow Biomass Crops on
Marginal Agricultural Land
• Over 7.5 million acres of
New York State Land Cover
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-
•
Miles
0
Legend
15
30
60
90
120
N YS La nd Co ver
•
W ate r
F orest 19 ,55 7,15 5 a c.
P asture/Ha y 6 ,03 3,5 72 a c.
R ow Cro ps
1,6 94 ,2 29 ac.
Map C reate d for th e Willow Biom ass Project
Dat e: Jun e 14, 2005
Land cover types in NY
agricultural land cover in NY
About 1.5 - 2.0 million acres
are under utilized
Willow biomass crops could
be an alternative crop for
farmers and landowners
Produces environmental and
rural development benefits
in addition to bioenergy
and/or bioproducts
Willow - Regional Background
• Onondaga County was the center of
Hubbard, W. 1904.
the U.S. willow basket industry in the
early 1900s
• ESF initiated willow biomass
research in 1986
Why Willow?
• High biomass production
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Three-year old willow in Tully, NY
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potential
Produces uniform
feedstock
Easily established with
unrooted cuttings
Resprouts vigorously after
each harvest
Limited insect and pest
problems
Wide range of genetic
variability
What Willow?
• Focus is on the
•
Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
development of
shrub type willows,
not the more
conspicuous tree
willows
Varieties selected
do not root sucker
or spread easily
Willow Biomass Production Cycle
Three-year old after
coppice
Site Preparation
Planting
Harvesting
One-year old after
coppice
Coppice
First year growth
Early spring after coppicing
Planting Stock
Harvesting one year old whips for planting stock
25 cm long dormant cuttings
Planting
 First commercial planting of willow biomass
crops in North America occurred in the Tug Hill
region of NY in 2006 by Catalyst Renewables
Three Year Old Willow Biomass Crops
Willow yields are typically 4
odt/acre/yr in the first rotation and 5
odt/ac/yr in subsequent rotations
Cut and Chip Harvesting Systems
• Harvesting occurs
during the dormant
season to ensure
vigorous regrowth
• Modified agricultural
equipment is used to cut
and chip willow biomass
in a single pass
New Holland forage harvester
being developed to harvest willow
biomass crops
After the Chipping….
Environmental and Rural
Development Benefits
Global Carbon Cycles
Natural Gas
1
0.40
100 % Carbon Closure
1J
(Assumes 0.25 t/ha-yr increase in soil carbon)
11-16 J
55 J
Feedstock
Production
(62%)
Transportation
(12%)
(Mann and Spath 1997, Heller et al. 2003)
Power Plant
Construction
(26%)
Net CO2
Emissions: 0%
Corn Ethanol
1
1.34
Bird Diversity in Willow
Andre Dhondt – Laboratory of Ornithology
Cornell University
Peter Wrege – Cornell University
Jobs Created
Rural Development Benefits
for 10,000 acres planted
100
80
Induced
60
Indirect
Direct
40
20
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13
Planting Years
• A mini curriculum on
•
willow and biomass
available at
www.esf.edu/willow
Designed to meet
NYS math, science
and technology
standards
Current Willow Biomass Production System
- Decades of worldwide knowledge and experience
- Inherent characteristics of willow
Tailor biomass production system for specific objectives and site conditions
- use an adaptive management model
Phytoremediation
Living Willow
Snowfences
Willow Riparian
Buffers
Market Developments
Combined Heat and Power
Biorefinery
Co-firing
Gasification
Small Scale Heat
(Liu 2008)
(Liu 2008)
Current Wood to Energy Facilities
Cellulose
Lignin
Renewable Power
Or
Renewable Heat and Power
Hemicellulose
Wood to Energy Biorefinery
Acetic acid
Ethanol
(15 – 20% of mass)
Biodegradable
plastics
Hemicellulose
Chemicals
Lignin
Cellulose
Renewable
Heat and
Power
(Liu 2008)
(Liu 2008)
(Liu 2008)
(Liu 2008)
Wood Based Biorefinery
• Commercial pilot wood based
biorefinery at Lyonsdale Biomass
CHP plant in upstate NY with
– 25 dry tons per day of hardwoods
from forests and willow biomass
crops
– Annually produce
» 130,000 gallons of ethanol
» 6,000 tons of acetic acid
– extracted chips have a higher
energy density and significantly
lower ash content
» Beneficial for CHP, pellet production,
used for generation of renewable
power
Now is the Time for Action
• “The stone age did not
end for lack of stone,
and the oil age will end
long before the world
runs out of oil.”
– Sheikh Zaki Yamani, former
oil minister for Saudi Arabia
• "We must be the
change we wish to see."
~M.
Ghandi
Renewable Energy and Willow
Biomass Is Really Fun
Acknowledgements
 USDA CSREES
 NYS Energy Research
and Development
Authority (NYSERDA)
 NYS Dept. Agriculture
and Markets
 NYSTAR
 US Dept. of Interior