Bio-mass Gasification
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why is the college interested in an alternative energy source for campus heating
and cooling?
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What are some of the key criteria for selecting an alternative energy source?
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Why is the college considering biomass gasification?
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What is biomass gasification?
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Is this an incinerator?
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How is this different from the project proposed in Shelton?
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How will you verify that biomass gasification meets your criteria, including those
related to emissions and fuel supply?
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How much will this project cost?

What’s the timeline for this project?

Has a decision already been made to build this facility?

Is wood waste really a sustainable fuel (e.g. availability, growth cycle, carbon
impact, forest health, transportation, etc.)?

Where will the wood come from?

How many truckloads of fuel would a plant of the size envisioned for Evergreen
require each day?

Could this facility be easily converted to use other less environmentally friendly
fuels (trash, tires, etc.)?

Will this facility have a negative impact on our recycling and other environmental
initiatives on campus?

Will the biomass gasification facility create dioxins?

How can I get involved in the feasibility study?

How can I keep track of this project as it moves along?
Biomass Gasification Questions
Why is the college interested in an alternative energy source for
campus heating and cooling?
While the college already purchases 100% green electricity, we can’t efficaciously use
electricity for heating. The campus currently heats our buildings using natural gas, a
fossil fuel, to create steam. The combustion of natural gas for heat is one of the largest
contributors to our overall carbon footprint, greater even than fuel consumption related to
student, staff and faculty commuting. Our goal is to become carbon neutral by 2020, so
we need an action to reduce our reliance on burning natural gas. The intent of this
renewable energy project is to reduce fossil greenhouse gas emissions, which have a
previously unacknowledged impact on the environment.
What are some of the key criteria for selecting an alternative energy
source?
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Practical replacement of natural gas for on-demand heating
Emissions comparable to burning natural gas, including nitrogen oxides (NOx),
volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulates, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon
monoxide (CO), etc.
Existing technology that can be located on our campus
Technology suitable to our location
Access to a dependable and sustainable fuel supply
Minimal impact on the campus and surrounding community (emissions, noise, traffic)
Cost comparable to burning natural gas
Potential to create an alternative energy learning opportunity
Why is the college considering biomass gasification?
Evergreen graduate students (Master of Environmental Studies and Master of Public
Administration) in a winter quarter 2009 class on climate action planning were asked to
explore alternative energy sources to replace natural gas. They researched the probable
efficacy, practicality, and costs of solar, wind, wave, tidal and hydroelectric, geothermal,
kinetic, and biomass gasification energy generation systems. They concluded that, in
addition to continued conservation efforts, biomass gasification had the best potential to
meet the criteria noted above. Based on this initial research, our working hypothesis is
that biomass gasification is the alternative energy source of choice for Evergreen.
What is biomass gasification?
In brief, bio-mass gasification heats wood fuel in an oxygen-starved environment to
create a combustible synthesis gas ("syn-gas") that can serve as a substitute for natural
gas. This differs from some bio-mass energy solutions that burn wood or other fuels
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Biomass Gasification Questions
directly. Gasification technology reduces particulates compared with direct combustion
bio-mass processes by inertial or gravitational separation of particulates between the gas
generator and the oxidizer (combustion) stage. In addition, any particulates in the flue
(exhaust) stream will pass through an electrostatic precipitator for removal of additional
particulates, especially fine ones that can adversely affect human health. The combustion
by-products of filtered syn-gas are very similar to those produced by natural gas. Our
design objective also includes requirements for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) reduction that
should meet or exceed the emission control technology on the existing natural gas boilers.
Gasification also produces a by-product (char) that can be used as a soil supplement. Our
initial research indicates that the final emissions from a gasification plant will be cleaner
than from other combustion or bio-mass alternatives.
Is this an incinerator?
No. It heats the wood fuel to create syn-gas. It burns the syn-gas to create steam, not to
dispose of waste.
How is this different from the project proposed in Shelton?
Goals
Shelton
Generate electricity
Make money
Technology
Burning wood
Size/Fuel
Requirement
Over 100 truckloads
per weekday
(roughly 600,000
tons/year)
Estimated to be 60 – 80
gal’s/minute
New Water Demand
Evergreen
Generate steam for heating/cooling
Reduce campus carbon footprint
Emissions ≤ burning natural gas
Create learning opportunity
Possibly lower long term costs
Gasification - heating wood to create
cleaner burning syn-gas
2 truckloads a day
(roughly 12,000 tons/year)
No new water demand
How will you verify that biomass gasification meets your criteria,
including those related to emissions and fuel supply?
We are conducting a feasibility study to test our hypothesis regarding biomass
gasification. The feasibility study, being conducted through the summer and into the fall,
is asking direct questions about these key issues and gathering data to test our initial
conclusions about the technology and its application here at Evergreen.
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Biomass Gasification Questions
How much will this project cost?
The working figure we are using at this point is $10 million. If we move ahead with the
project, we hope to secure partners (e.g. state and federal government) to help offset
some of the investment. Savings resulting from changes in fuel costs should help pay for
the rest of the investment over time. The length of that payback is still being researched.
What’s the timeline for this project?
Summer 2005 – A Sustainability Task Force is formed and charged to “consult broadly
with the campus community as it develops a deeper understanding of Evergreen's current
situation and as it formulates strategies and action plans to advance sustainability at
Evergreen in the coming years.”
Winter 2007 – The College’s updated Strategic Plan draws upon the recommendations of
the Sustainability Task Force, including a commitment to sustainability and the goal of
carbon neutrality by 2020.
Winter 2008 – The College’s new Master Plan also expresses the institutional goal of
carbon (and waste) neutrality by 2020.
Winter 2009 – Students in the MES Climate Action Planning class researched alternative
energy options – including biomass gasification – and built them into Evergreen’s draft
Climate Action Plan.
Spring/Summer 2009 – The Climate Action Plan was reviewed and modified by
Evergreen’s Sustainability Council and Sustainability Working Groups (including
students, staff and faculty).
Fall 2009 – The Sustainability Council publicized the Climate Action Plan, including
alternative energy approaches, and posted it on the Sustainability Web site.
Fall 2009/Winter 2010 – Sustainability Council and Working Group members did
additional research on biomass gasification, including conversations with Middlebury
College about their operational facility and site visits to an operating facility in Victoria,
BC.
Current/Spring 2010
The Sustainability Council is providing a focused introduction of biomass gasification
plans to the campus community and requested participation in the feasibility study
process.
Summer 2010
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Biomass Gasification Questions
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The feasibility study – funded through a partnership among the college, the State of
Washington and Evergreen’s student-run Clean Energy Committee – will be
conducted over the summer and into the fall.
To accommodate potential funding opportunities for the overall project, the college
will submit a grant request to the Washington Department of Commerce and include
the biomass gasification facility in its capital budget request for the 2011-13 biennium
(budget requests due in fall 2010). The Board of Trustees will be asked to approve
this capital budget request.
If the feasibility study determines that biomass gasification is not in the best
interests of the college (for environmental, financial or other reasons), these
funding requests will be changed (possibly to accommodate a better alternative)
or rescinded. However, if the college does not submit these requests now, funding
could be unavailable later (e.g. all grant money will be allocated to projects at other
institutions and agencies) or, at a minimum, any state capital funding could be
delayed into the next biennium (which starts in July 2013).
Fall 2010
 Results of the feasibility study will be shared with the campus community to explain
the degree to which the project can meet the established criteria.
 If the project can meet the criteria, Senior Staff will confer with the Sustainability
Council to determine a specific recommendation for the Board of Trustees (dependent
on funding).
Beyond Fall 2010
Further work will depend on the results of the feasibility study and availability and timing
of funding. If feasible and funded, the goal is to implement the project as soon as
possible to support and accelerate our carbon neutrality efforts.
Has a decision already been made to build this facility?
No. We are conducting a feasibility study to confirm our hypothesis that it makes sense
to build the plant. Once that study is complete, we will make a decision.
Is wood waste really a sustainable fuel (e.g. availability, growth cycle,
carbon impact, forest health, transportation, etc.)?
That’s a question we are asking in our feasibility study. Based on initial research, our
hypothesis related to the viability of biomass gasification assumes that it is – especially
compared to burning non-renewable natural gas.
Time is a critical measure of sustainability. When we use fossil fuels and generate carbon
dioxide that may take millions of years to re-sequester, we are creating a long-term
imbalance that is not sustainable. One important key to sustainability lies in finding
resource and waste strategies that are re-generable within a single lifetime or less.
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Biomass Gasification Questions
Growing our fuel resources is a very sustainable solution so long as we don’t use more
than we can grow.
We believe that our current use of natural gas from fossil deposits seriously violates the
college’s sustainability goals, as articulated in the Strategic Plan. Natural gas was formed
on a geological time scale, over thousands or millions of years; emissions from the
combustion of natural gas, particularly the carbon, have not been a part of our global ecosystem or climate for all of that time. So although natural gas is a relatively ‘clean’ fuel,
it produces greenhouse gas emissions that add to and subsequently unbalance the existing
carbon cycle.
This part of our hypothesis will be tested along with the other assumptions.
Where will the wood come from?
Our informal discussions with local timberland owners, the Washington Department of
Natural Resources, and some family-owned timberland cooperatives on the Olympic
Peninsula indicate that there is an enormous amount of woody debris available – many,
many times what we would ever need. We don’t yet know exactly where we might source
our fuel since this is a brand-new market in our area and there are no existing suppliers of
chipped wood for a gasification plant. As we explore options, we are also conscious of
and intent on supporting environmentally responsible fuel sources.
How many truckloads of fuel would a plant of the size envisioned for
Evergreen require each day?
Initial estimates are two (2) truckloads per day.
Could this facility be easily converted to use other less
environmentally friendly fuels (trash, tires, etc.)?
No. A plant in operation at Evergreen would have three very strong barriers to changes in
the fuel type:
1. The technology that we are studying does not work with tires or trash. It is designed
for, and only works with, plant mass.
2. It is illegal to change fuel types once an operating permit has been issued. We would
have to re-apply for a new operating permit and go through a new public review and
comment process in order to legally change fuels.
3. Our plans include classroom and academic program engagement with the operation of
the gasification plant. Faculty and students will have daily opportunities to see what
fuel is being used.
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Biomass Gasification Questions
Will this facility have a negative impact on our recycling and other
environmental initiatives on campus?
It should have a positive impact by creating a visible, practical demonstration of new
approaches to environmental stewardship and carbon neutrality and the college’s
commitment to those approaches. Efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle will remain
important initiatives on campus.
Will the biomass gasification facility create dioxins?
That’s a question we are asking in our feasibility study. We are looking at whether this is
chemically possible given this specific fuel source (e.g. if it lacks significant amounts of
sodium chloride – salt – with the required chlorine for dioxin creation) and the nature of
this specific technology (low oxygen – oxygen is also required for dioxin production). If
dioxin generation is possible, we want to know the levels and the implications. However,
there is no indication that the plant under study would produce dioxins based on our
present inquiries using the fuel sources we are considering.
We’ll be making a critical evaluation of this project based on comparisons with similar
installations in terms of the fuel stream (chipped wood), technology (gasification) and
purpose (steam heat). Because these factors are distinctive, we won’t rely on
generalizations based on comparisons with municipal waste incinerators, bio-digesters,
wood-fired boilers, or other technologies that differ significantly from biomass
gasification.
How can I get involved in the feasibility study?
Contact Scott Morgan, Sustainability Coordinator, at sustainabilityoffice@evergreen.edu
or 360-867-6913.
How can I keep track of this project as it moves along?
Go to www.evergreen.edu/sustainability/biomass gasification.htm.
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