InCrops Enterprise
Hub
Mark Coleman
InCrops
InCrops Enterprise
Hub
• Non-food crops (and functional foods)
• Low-carbon technologies
• Sustainability
• East of England
Partners
InCrops
Clients
InCrops Client
Sectors
Natural fibres in composites
Natural fibres in construction
Bioplastics
Oleochemicals
Personal care
Functional foods
Bioenergy
Pharmaceuticals
Biofuels: problems and solutions
Biofuel
- a fuel composed of or produced from biological raw materials (Merriam-Webster 3rd Unabridged Dictionary)
- fuel derived immediately from living matter (Oxford English Dictionary)
Biofuels: ancient and old
Wood burning
Early diesel engines ran on
plant oils
Modern biofuels
Bioalcohols
depolymerisation
Carbohydrate
fermentation
Mono- and
disaccharides
(sucrose, starch, plant
cell walls, etc)
Alcohols
Biodiesel
Vegetable oil
neutralisation
(rapeseed, soybean,
jatropha)
Biogas
Organic matter
(manure, sewage sludge,
municipal solid waste,
etc)
esterification
base + ethanol
acetogenesis
Biodiesel (ethyl esters of
fatty acids) + glycerol
methanogenesis
Fatty acids, H2
and CH3COOH
Biogas (~60%
CH4)
Current biofuel production
Biofuel usage 2001 vs 2006 vs 2009
Fuel
Bioethanol
Biodiesel
Production 2001
(106 litres)
Production 2006
(106 litres)
Production 2009
(106 litres)
19,000
38,000
74,000
1000
6000
86% of biofuel is bioethanol
Biofuels represent 0.9% of liquid fuel (by volume, 0.6% by distance travelled)
Biofuels for Transport, Worldwatch Institute, 2007; F.O. Lichts, 2010
Current ethanol production – by country
Country/region
Ethanol Production
(106 litres)
Percentage
United States
18,300
47.9
Brazil
15,700
41.1
European Union
1550
4.1
China
1300
3.4
Canada
550
1.4
Colombia
250
0.7
India
200
0.5
Thailand
150
0.4
Australia
100
0.3
Central America
100
0.3
38,200
100.0
World Total
Biofuels for Transport, Worldwatch Institute, 2007
Current ethanol production – by country
Ethanol production 2006
Country/region
Main feedstocks
United States
Maize
Brazil
Sugar cane
European Union
Cereals, sugar beet
China
Maize, wheat, sugar beet
India
Sugar cane, cassava
Currently feedstocks are either starch-rich (maize,
wheat, cassava) or sugar-rich (sugar cane, sugar beet)
Biofuels for Transport, Worldwatch Institute, 2007
Current biodiesel production – by country
Country/region
Production (106 L)
Percentage
Germany
2499
40.6
United States
852
13.8
France
652
10.2
Italy
568
9.2
Czech Republic
153
2.5
Spain
142
2.3
Malaysia
136
2.2
UK
114
1.9
Others
1064
17.4
Europe Total
4504
73.2
Americas Total
1113
18.1
World Total
6153
100.0
Biofuels for Transport, Worldwatch Institute, 2007
Current biodiesel production
•European Biodiesel production accounts for 73% of the world total
•Biodiesel makes up >70% of Europe’s total biofuel
•Main European crops are rapeseed and sunflower
•Main US crop is soybean
Biofuels for Transport, Worldwatch Institute, 2007
Problems with “first generation” biofuels
• Food vs fuel: insufficient arable land to sustain both
• ‘Field-to-wheel’ analysis: CO2 emissions are still high
Energy Policy for Europe
EU Energy Policy for Europe targets for 2020:
20% (by energy) of all energy will be from renewable sources
10% (by energy) of all transport will be biofuel
How much land is required ?
UK arable land use 2005
Crop
Wheat
UK arable land (ha)
UK arable land (%)
1,868,000
32
Sugar beet
148,000
3
Rape seed
519,000
9
Total
2,535,000
44
Total UK arable land
5,777,000
100
Set-aside capacity = 559,000 ha in 2005
How much land is required ?
Crop
Harvestable crop
(t/ha)
Typical fuel production
(l/ha)
8-12 (grain)
(67-75% starch)
2500-4500
Sugar beet
45-65 (fresh roots)
(15-20% sugar)
4500-6000
Rape seed
3-5 (seed)
(40-45% oil)
1200-1800
Wheat grain
How much land is required ?
Biodiesel in the UK
• UK diesel market currently 17 million t/year
• 10% (Energy Policy for Europe): 1.7 million t of biodiesel
• 3 t seed required/t oil
• Require at least 1.2 million ha. >20% of total UK arable land
How much land is required ?
Country/region
% of total crop land needed for
10% biofuel share in transport
fuel
US
30%
Canada
36%
Brazil
3%
EU
72%
World
9%
Biofuels for Transport, Worldwatch Institute, 2007; OECD, 2006
‘Field-to-wheel’ analysis: net CO2 emissions of
different biofuels
CO2
CO2
Fuel
‘Field-to-wheel’ analysis: net CO2 emissions of
different biofuels
‘Field-to-wheel’ analysis: net CO2 emissions of
different biofuels
Fuel
Net CO2 (g/km)
Petrol
~180
Diesel
~150
Biodiesel
~90
Bioethanol (wheat, sugar beet)
60-110
Possible solutions: anaerobic digestion (AD) to
produce biogas
Biogas - gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of
oxygen.
Composition:
Gas
%
Methane, CH4
55-75
Carbon dioxide, CO2
25-45
Nitrogen, N2
Carbon monoxide, CO
Hydrogen, H2
Hydrogen sulfide, H2 S
Oxygen, O2
1-5
0-0.3
0-3
0.1-0.5
Trace
Possible solutions: anaerobic digestion (AD) to
produce biogas
Biogas - gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of
oxygen.
Overview of production process:
Simplified chemical equation: C6H12O6 → 3CO2 + 3CH4
Acidogenic bacteria carry out the initial stage: production of organic acids and CO2 and H2.
Methanogenic bacteria convert the acids or CO2 and H2 to methane.
Possible solutions: anaerobic digestion (AD) to
produce biogas
Almost any organic material can be broken down. Both single-stage and two-stage
processes are used.
Possible solution: biofuel from aquatic crops
Input
Output
Biodiesel
from oil
Wastewater
Algal
biomass
Input
Sunlight
CO2
Input
Output
Bioalcohol
from cell
walls
InCrops project: Algal Innovation Centre
CH4
AD
Digestate &
CO2
Input
Sunlight
Output
Biodiesel
from oil
Algal
biomass
Output
Bioalcohol
from cell
walls
InCrops project: Algal Innovation Centre feasibility
study
Work Package 1: Revision tasks
Assess stakeholders, potential sites for an Algal Innovation Centre in the region, review of literature
of algal growth on diluted liquid digestate from AD, review of funding opportunities for establishing
an innovation centre, review of case studies of other algal growth facilities and innovation centers
Work Package 2: Preliminary algal growth trials at two sites
Determination of growth of naturally occurring species vs fast-growing culture collection species
Assessment of species suitability, summarized in a report
Work Package 3: Building the case for funding an Algal Innovation Centre
Determine benefits an Algal Innovation Centre would bring to the region, relationship with other algal
projects in the UK and Europe, locations, initial steps need to be taken to establish a basic centre,
required resources and financing
Work Package 4: Integration of findings from WP 1, 2 and 3 in final report
The report will close with clear recommendations as to site, scale and funding sources for the
Centre. The report will provide a roadmap for implementation and future development
EEDA funded
Final reports: June 2010
InCrops client support: duckweed and AD trials
CH4
AD
Digestate
Input
Sunlight
Biomass
Output
Bioalcohol
from cell
walls, starch
InCrops partner interactions: British Bioalcohols Group
Cereal
germplasm
HOOCH Project: Production of Bioalcohols From
Lignocellulosic Waste Materials Produced in the
Agri-Food Chain
Cereal
Residues
Project Sponsors: Defra Renewable Materials LINK
programme & HGCA
Solubilised
Polymers
Partners: IFR, UEA, JIC, Brunel, ThermoFisher,
Adnams, Achor, HGCA, Vireol, GR Wright & Sons,
Biocatalysts, Lotus, Renewables East
Fermentable
sugars
Bioalcohols
InCrops partner interactions: British Bioalcohols Group
Cereal
germplasm
Cereal
Residues
Solubilised
Polymers
Fermentable
sugars
Bioalcohols
InCrops
www.incropsproject.co.uk/