What is Biomass? Biomass plants animal waste photosynthesis sunlight energy chemical energy Animals store

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1 Biomass Energy

2 What is Biomass? Biomass energy is derived from plants and animal waste which are, or were recently, living material Through photosynthesis plants convert sunlight energy into chemical energy Animals eat plants and store the chemical energy Biomass contains stored chemical energy that can be converted to Electricity, Fuel and

3 Resources Biomass is available almost everywhere in the world Biomass is divided into primary and secondary sources Primary biomass energy sources are plant materials grown for energy production Secondary biomass energy sources are waste materials which can be used for energy production Good biomass energy sources have a high yield of dry material and use minimal land They should generate more energy than their production consume They are Renewable and CO 2 neutral (if harvested sustainably) Biomass is not easily stored Transport is expensive especially for secondary sources Types of Biomass Primary Source Secondary sources Crops Wood fuel Sugar cane Paper mill sludge Plant residues Sewage

4 Biomass Harvesting; Processing Transport to Bio-Energy Plant Combustion Anaerobic Digestion Fermentation Biogas Bio-Ethanol Electricity Fertilizer Chemicals Mechanical Oil Fuel Bio-Energy Plant Processing Bio-Energy Primary Products Bio-Energy Secondary Products

5 Combustion: ing & Cooking Combustion Electricity. Wood can be burned to a house Prepare food

6 Combustion: Electricity Combustion Electricity Biomass can be burned in power plants to generate electricity In combined heat and power systems, the surplus heat energy is also used to heat water or nearby homes.

7 Anaerobic Digestion: Biogas Digester Anaerobic Digestion Biogas technology formalizes the natural decomposition process in the absence of oxygen = anaerobic digestion Biogas digester consists of one or more airtight reservoirs into which a suitable moist feedstock is placed Digester can be big or small Compounds produced by this process are: Methane gas: used for heating, cooking & electricity Odourless slurry: excellent fertilizer Pure water: not drinkable Biogas Electricity Fertilizer

8 Ref: iisigroup.org Anaerobic Digestion: Biogas - Landfill Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Electricity Fuel Landfill gas utilization is a process of gathering, processing, and treating the methane gas emitted from decomposing garbage. To produce: electricity, heat, fuels, and various chemical compounds

9 Biomass Power Plants in SA REIPPPP: Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme 2016: 4 Bidding rounds in the REIPPPP process have been completed and the construction of RE power plants in SA has commenced Biomass Power Plants Bidding round Biomass Number of Projects Landfill Window Window Window 3 1 (16 MW) 1 (18 MW) Capacity allocated (MW) 34 Window Total MW Landfill Johannesburg 18 MW Ref: Joburg.org.za

10 First Generation Food Biofuels Second Generation Plant and animal waste Maize Sugar cane bagasse Algae Third Generation Algae Sugar cane Sewage Bioreactor

11 Biofuel: Mechanical Processing Mechanical Bio-oil Electricity Processing Chemicals Transport fuel First-generation food crops like sunflower seed oil and soybean oil can be converted into biodiesel through mechanical processing These fuels are more effective than wood = a more concentrated energy source Concerns: Dare we use food for fuel? Effect of monocrops on nature?

12 Biofuel: Fermentation Fermentation Ethanol Electricity Chemicals Fuel First- and secondgeneration crops like maize, sugar cane and sweet sorghum bagasse can be converted into liquid biofuels through fermentation Maize and sugar cane can be converted into: 1. Ethanol a liquid biofuel 2. Methane a gas

13 Biofuel: Algae Third-generation biomass (algae) produce biofuels Still in research phase Benefits Fast growing; contains oil; contains no sulphur; non-toxic Not in competition with crops Can be grown with seawater in the desert won t use agricultural space Concerns Expensive to develop Cannot provide enough oil to satisfy the total transport demand, although can meet aviation demand