BIOMASS SELECTION TOOLKITBuilding Sustainable Biomass to BioHydrogen Chains

ΠΑΡΑΓΩΓΗ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΑΧΕΙΡΙΣΗ ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑΣ

ΒΙΟΜΑΖΑ

WHY a “Biomass Selection Tool”?

• The existence of a large variety of potential feedstocks, in conjunction with a large number of possible pretreatment/hydrolysis/refining processes, resulting in a very high population of feedstock/process combinations, all leading to the same target biofuel;

• The feasibility and viability of these multiple feedstock-process pathways can be characterized by many types of technological, economic, environmental, social and other parameters, typically expressed in different, sometimes even incompatible ways.

• The demand for a scientifically sound (i.e., not empirical), methodologically consistent (i.e., not eclectic), and uniform (i.e., not opportunistic) approach of all possible biomass-to-biohydrogen systems, by which the decision maker could “navigate” across such a complex landscape.

COST

SUSTAINABILITYTECHNICAL SUITABILITY

FEEDSTOCK SELECTION

COST

SUSTAINABILITYTECHNICAL SUITABILITY

FEEDSTOCK SELECTION

Biomass Technical Suitability Index (BTSI)

Category Name Definition

1 Yield Potential Maximum Hydrogen yield based on two-step stoichometric hydrogen fermentation, assuming 80% conversion to hydrogen and 20% to microbial biomass production and other byproducts

2 Mobilisation Efficiency

Percentage of all carbohydrates in the feedstock that can be converted into fermentable sugars

3 Fermentability Tendency of pretreated feedstock to inhibit or improve fermentation to hydrogen

4 Coproduct value & yield

Characterisation of both the value and the volume of the co-product from pretreatment or fermentation

Biomass Technical Suitability Index (BTSI)

Sugar beet (juice)

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0Yield Potential

Mobilisation efficiency

Fermentability

Co-product Application & Yield

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0Yield Potential

Mobilisation efficiency

Fermentability

Coproduct Value & Yield

Sugar beet (juice)

Wheat grain

Miscanthus

Reed Canary Grass

Biomass Cost Index (BCI)

Cost A (€/wet t) Primary production or opportunity cost of feedstock (€/wet t)

Dry Matter Content (dm) % water (moisture) content of feedstock

Carbohydrate Content % non-carbohydrate content of feedstock

Transport Distance Feedstock transportation distance (km)

BioH2 Plant Capacity Plant capacity (dry t biomass/h)

Cost C (index) Refining Index (refining difficulty due to the type of Carbohydrates – see above)

Co-product C Credit (Index) Credit of refining co-products (euro/GJ carb)

Co-product A Credit (Index) Credit of primary production co-products (euro/GJ carb)

(on a 0-100 Scale, where 100 for zero credit)

Biomass Cost Index (BCI)

Index of the Interaction of the 8 Cost Parameters expressed by the surface area of

the spider graph (the highest the Index, the less cost efficient the biomass-to-

biohydrogen supply chain)

Biomass Cost Index (BCI)

C=CA+CB+CC

• CA: Primary biomass production cost (e.g., for energy crops) or opportunity cost (e.g., for agricultural and agro-industrial residues [in €/ t or GJ of carbohydrate (carb) contained in the biomass]. The data for the quantification of this cost component are found in the literature, the available expertise, and actual market prices according to the current agricultural and agro-industrial practices.

• CB: Feedstock transport and handling cost [in €/ t or GJ carb]. The figures for this cost category can be obtained from the particular supply chain arrangement, biomass logistics, and current market prices for transport costs.

 • CC: Feedstock pretreatment cost [in €/t or GJ carb]. Determining this cost component

depends on the relative refining difficulty of each type of feedstock according to their composition, available experimental data, as well as on engineering design methods. It is further assumed that biomass feedstocks can be categorised into 5 different types according to their refining potential, i.e., 1

2345

low lign. Carbohydratemixed carbohydrate

sugarstarch

high lign. Carbohydrate

Biomass Cost Index (BCI)

Opportunity Cost

%dm

%carb

Transportation Distance

Plant Capacity (dry t/day)

Refining Index

Credits of Refining

Credits of Biomass Production Sugar Beet (juice)

Wheat grain

Miscanthus

Reed Canary Grass

BSI-A: Preserving the stock of vital natural resources.

Sustainability of biomass based fuel systems requires that in biomass production erosion

and water usage do not exceed addition to stocks of soil and water, and also that levels

of nutrients and organic matter in soils do not decrease. Levels of volatile carbon

compounds and N2O in the atmosphere should remain unaffected. Meeting such

conditions requires major efforts (key impact factor parameters affecting BSI-A are soil,

nutrients, water and energy).

 

BSI-B: Maintaining key natural cycles and ecosystems services.

To maintain ecosystems services of nature useful to mankind, restriction of biomass

production to degraded and currently fallow land is to be preferred. Also, sustainability of

biomass-for-energy use requires a high efficiency recycling of nutrients present in ashes

and low emissions of persistent organics, acidifying compounds and heavy metals due to

biomass combustion. Meeting such conditions requires major efforts of a different kind

from that of BSI-A (key impact factor parameters affecting BSI-B are mobilization of

elements, impact on climate, land use and biodiversity).

Biomass Sustainability Index (BSI)

BSI-C: Socioeconomic factors.

Land use is shaped by processes of society–nature interaction. Sustainability

indicator BSI-C aims at monitoring key aspects of the society–nature

interactions in order to communicate complex sustainability problems within the

scientific community, to policy-makers and the broad public. The focus can be

on a variety of concepts that measure socio-economic metabolism and social

acceptance of a researched system. All the discussed approaches relate

socioeconomic energy and material flows to the bio-productive area needed to

support them. In addition, this special index will assess the consequences of

land use intensity on the diversity, naturalness and patterns of landscapes (key

impact factor parameters affecting BSI-C are social acceptance, human health,

employment and regional development).

Biomass Sustainability Index (BSI)

Biomass Sustainability Index (BSI)

1. Soil (erosion vs. conservation practices) 2. Nutrients (losses vs. rational management) 3. Fossil fuels (“hidden” links vs. de-coupling) B

SI-

A

4. Water (wasting/degrading vs. efficient use) 5. Mobilisation of elements (pollution vs. control) 6. Impact on climate (GHG vs. green accounting) 7. Land use (“fuel or food” vs. biorefineries) B

SI-

B

8. Biodiversity (monoculture vs. agroecosystem) 9.Social acceptance (concerns vs. consensus) 10. Human Health (ecology vs. economy) 11. Employment (human vs.development and technology ) B

SI-

C

12. Regional Development

BSI ={ [BSI-A] +[BSI-B] +[BSI-C] }/3

BSI Sugar beet

0.00

1.00

2.00

1. Soil (erosion vs. conservationpractices)

2. Nutrients (losses vs. rationalmanagement)

3. Fossil fuels (“hidden” links vs. de-coupling)

4. Water (wasting/degrading vs.efficient use)

5. Mobilisation of elements (pollutionvs. control)

6. Impact on climate (GHG vs. greenaccounting)

7. Land use (“fuel or food” vs.biorefineries)

8. Biodiversity (monoculture vs.agroecosystem)

9.Social acceptance (concerns vs.consensus)

10. Human Health (ecology vs.economy)

11. Employment (humanvs.development and technology )

12. Regional Development

BSI-A

BSI-B

BSI-C

Biomass Sustainability Index (BSI)

Comparative Assessment and Selection of Feedstock

BTSI BCI BSI Miscanthus 0.715 3224 1.6 Reed canary grass 0.642 2530 1.3 Sugar beet 0.931 2405 1.2 Wheat grain 0.678 2044 1.1