Bioenergy

Getting Serious about Bioenergy Policy in Canada (2009)

by Mark Purdon

Full Reference:
Purdon, M., Bailey-Stamler, S. and Samson, R. (2009) Getting Serious about Bioenergy Policy in Canada. Alternatives Journal, 35(2): 23-25.

Bioenergy policy is often limited to a discussion of liquid biofuels such as corn ethanol and, more recently,... more Bioenergy policy is often limited to a discussion of liquid biofuels such as corn ethanol and, more recently, second-generation “cellulosic” ethanol. It’s time to begin thinking more holistically about developing technologies that capture solar energy efficiently and turn it into useable forms of bioenergy. ...

Dynamic baselines and additionality: the case of CDM bagasse cogeneration in Uganda (2011)

by Mark Purdon

Paper presented at THE 5TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT (EFD) INITIATIVE, Arusha, October 27-30, 2011

This paper presents a case-study investigating the environmental integrity (“additionality”) of a CDM bagasse... more This paper presents a case-study investigating the environmental integrity (“additionality”) of a CDM bagasse cogeneration project in Uganda by modeling changes to financial and emissions baselines over the 2008-2014 crediting window. The CDM project claims that CDM financing was necessary for the expansion of bagasse cogeneration capacity, the surplus electricity from which has been exported to Uganda’s national grid. There are two levels to the additionality claim: (i) that KSW would not have been able to purchase the cogeneration technology to produce electricity for the national grid without CDM financing and (ii) that cogenerated electricity would displace fossil fuel emissions on Uganda’s national grid. For financial additionality, it was necessary to trace the history of the CDM cogeneration project in an effort determine if there were other significant sources of financing for the project than the CDM and, if so, attribute emission reductions to them. For emissions additionality, it was necessary to model baseline emissions as they evolved over the project’s crediting period 2008-2014. Recalculating the grid emissions factor entailed using a tool to calculate Uganda’s grid expansion factor developed using available ex-post data on power generation and updated to account for Uganda’s expected power mix through 2014. Findings indicate that the CDM has accelerated the capacity to export electricity, but not at the rate claimed in the CDM project documents. Genuine carbon credits are reduced from the original claim of 378,793 tCO2e over 2008-2014 to 189,396 tCO2e when appropriate historical financial baselines are included and further drops to between 74,699-117,711 tCO2e when dynamic financial baselines are considered. When dynamic grid emission factors are included in the assessment of emissions additionality, the initial amount of genuine carbon credits is reduced to 360,029 tCO2e. This is reduced further to 180,015 tCO2e when appropriate historical financial baselines are considered and between 89,645-116,731 tCO2e when dynamic financial baselines also considered. The main conclusion is that CDM additionality changes over time as financial incentives and baseline emissions change. Parsing out which emission reductions are due to the CDM and other interventions is difficult but, as demonstrated here, possible. Results indicated that baselines can deviate substantially from ex-ante efforts based on historical approaches and that emerging market mechanisms whether they be sectoral CDM, REDD+ or NAMAs warrant consideration of dynamic baselines that address changes in financial incentives and baseline emissions.

Assessment of Forest-Fuel Resources In Denmark: Technical and Economic Availability

by Bruce Talbot

Nord-Larsen, T. & Talbot, B. 2004. Biomass & Bioenergy(27): 97-109

Green harvest-facing the demand for renewable energy and the role of plantation forestry

by Bruce Talbot

(free download available via tandfonline button below)

Assessing Biorefineries

by Fredrik Hedenus

Co-author with Björn Sanden

FARMERS'REASONS FOR ENGAGING IN BIOENERGY UTILISATION

by Melf-Hinrich Ehlers

Renewable Energy: the potential opportunities and obligations of plantation forestry.

by Bruce Talbot

Talbot, B. & Ackerman, P. 2009. Southern Forests 71(1) 79-83
( free download avaialbe via doi button below)

Global demand for woody biomass in substituting fossil fuels does, and will increasingly, place significant pressure... more Global demand for woody biomass in substituting fossil fuels does, and will increasingly, place significant pressure on timber plantations and question conventional management practices. Plantations are rationally laid out, located in areas of high productivity, typically have good infrastructure, and are serviced by technologically efficient harvesting systems. Thus they have an inherent capacity to contribute more to bioenergy feedstocks than other, more natural, forms of forest or forest management. Sustainability goals are defined not only in terms of their in situ effect, but also in how they conform and contribute broadly to sustainable development at the local, regional and global levels. Renewable energy is generally recognised as a positive step on the pathway to sustainable development, but biomass-based renewable energy is becoming a controversial issue. In agriculture, the lure of first-generation biofuels is already distorting world food markets, energy crops such as sugar cane and oil palm continue to encroach on natural ecosystems, while in plantation forestry, everything from stumps and roots to branches and needles has taken on a new value. Not only does this threaten the ecological viability of the site, but it poses a challenge to forest management in suggesting a future and more direct competition for raw materials and the livelihoods of other users and satellite industries. Some level of trade-off between the long-term goals of plantation forestry, ecologically sound harvesting practices, and the benefits of renewable energy need to be arrived at. The challenge lies in ensuring an equitable incurrence of liabilities and distribution of benefits for all, while guaranteeing a feasible supply to a long-term investment in an energy conversion plant. Many argue that the free market should play itself out, oblivious to the fact that renewable energy plants are often subsidised. In this paper, we provide a general overview of some of the issues facing plantation forestry and the bioenergy harvest. The paper is presented primarily to stimulate discussion around issues of relevance to the emerging bioenergy sector

Extracting and chipping hardwood crowns for energy

by Bruce Talbot

Suadicani, K. & Talbot, B. 2010. Extracting and chipping hardwod crowns for energy. Scandiavian Journal of Forest Research. Vol 25 (5): 455-461 (free download available via link below)

This study investigated the feasibility of extracting and chipping hardwood crowns for energy after motor-manual... more This study investigated the feasibility of extracting and chipping hardwood crowns for energy after motor-manual thinning in stands of common beech. Large crowns were extracted and chipped from stands where only sawlogs had been produced, while small crowns were extracted and chipped from stands where sawlogs and firewood had been harvested. The fuel chip yield was 15 ha–1 when extracting and chipping large crowns, while it was 8 ha–1 when extracting and chipping small crowns. The productivity for extracting and chipping large crowns was 8.5 per workplace hour, and for small crowns was 5.9 per workplace hour. Extracting and chipping large crowns gave a net income of €167 ha–1 (€11 ), while extracting and chipping small crowns gave a lower net income of €23 ha–1 (€3 ). The study showed that extracting and chipping large hardwood crowns is feasible and can make a substantial contribution to woody biomass feedstocks. Four product-mix alternatives were considered, but the marginal differences in outcome led the authors to recommend that in addition to sawlogs only one product, firewood or chips, should be produced in each stand.

Road Transport of Forest Fuels: A re-look at containers vs. bulk trailers.

by Bruce Talbot

Talbot, B. & Suadicani, K. 2006. Forestry Studies |Metsanduslikud Uurimused 45: 11-22.

Anthracnose disease of switchgrass caused by the novel fungal species Colletotrichum navitas

by Lisa Beirn

Transcriptional changes related to secondary wall formation in xylem of transgenic lines of tobacco altered for lignin or xylan content which show improved saccharification

by Arsalan Daudi

Phytochemistry, 2012

Cook CM, Daudi A, Millar DJ, Bindschedler LV, Khan S, Bolwell GP, and Devoto A (2012) Transcriptional changes related to secondary wall formation in xylem of transgenic lines of tobacco altered for lignin or xylan content which show improved saccharification. Phytochemistry 74: 78-89.

Suitability assessment for a range of woody germplasm in northern NSW

by Brendan George

Bioenergy systems, soil health and climate change

by Brendan George

Chapter in a recent book "Soil health and climate change" edited by B.P. Singh, A.L. Cowie & K.Y. Chan (Springer).
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/agriculture/book/978-3-642-20255-1

Currently fossil fuels supply most of the world’s energy needs, in processes that move carbon from geologic pools to... more Currently fossil fuels supply most of the world’s energy needs, in processes that move carbon from geologic pools to the  atmosphere. In 2007, use of fossil fuels released an estimated 28.8 Gt of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) into the atmosphere (International Energy Agency 2009). The increasing atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) influences climate (Solomon et al. 2007), and this process may be accentuated if climate and
carbon cycle feedback loops continue to develop (Friedlingstein 2008; Gregory et al. 2009).

It is generally accepted that we need to move to a “low-carbon future” with reduced reliance on fossil fuels for energy. Bioenergy can play a significant role, meeting some of our energy needs while reducing carbon emissions and even sequestering significant amounts of carbon. While there is the potential for
bioenergy systems to provide very significant amounts of energy across the world (Bauen et al. 2010), intensifying production systems and changing land use and land management to produce biomass may impact on soil health and soil carbon in
particular (Lal et al. 2003). The question of how bioenergy systems should be managed to achieve optimal outcomes is not yet clearly resolved (e.g. Blanco-Canqui 2010; Cowie et al. 2006; Delucchi 2010; Lal et al. 2003). And while bioenergy systems, if thoughtfully designed, can contribute to mitigating climate change, we also need to consider some of the issues in adapting to climate change to sustain production.

This chapter reviews some of the current work and expectations for the improved management of bioenergy systems that not only produce significant amounts of biomass but maintain or improve soil health.

Cassava for food and energy: exploring potential benefits of processing of cassava into cassava flour and bioenergy at farmstead and community levels in rural …

by Ednah Bashoma-Zvinavashe

Solid-state anaerobic digestion for methane production from organic waste

by Stephen Park

Co-authored with Yebo Li and Jiying Zhu
Published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2011. 15(1): 821-826.

Solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) generally occurs at solid concentrations higher than 15%. In contrast, liquid... more Solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) generally occurs at solid concentrations higher than 15%. In contrast, liquid anaerobic digestion (AD) handles feedstocks with solid concentrations between 0.5% and 15%. Animal manure, sewage sludge, and food waste are generally treated by liquid AD, while organic fractions of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and lignocellulosic biomass such as crop residues and energy crops can be processed through SS-AD. Some advantages of SS-AD include smaller reactor capacity requirements, less energy used for heating, and no processing energy needed for stirring. Due to its lower water content, the digestate of SS-AD is much easier to handle than the effluent of liquid AD. However, SS-AD systems also have disadvantages such as larger amounts of required inocula and much longer retention time.

The principles and applications of the SS-AD process are reviewed in this paper. The variation in biogas production yields of different feedstocks is discussed as well as the need for pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass to enhance biogas production. The effects of major operational parameters, including C/N ratio, solids content, temperature, and inoculation on the performance of SS-AD are summarized. While an increase in operating temperature can improve both the biogas yield and the production efficiency, other practices such as using AD digestate or leachate as an inoculant or decreasing the solid content, may increase the biogas yield but have negative impact on production efficiency. Different reactor configurations used in current commercial scale SS-AD systems and the impact of economics on system selection are also discussed.

Solid-State Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Stover for Biogas Production

by Stephen Park

Co-authored with Yebo Li, Jiying Zhu, and Caixia Wan
Published in Transactions of the ASABE. 2011. 54(4): 1415-1421.

The effects of temperature, feedstock/inoculum (F/I) ratio, and total solid (TS) content on biogas production from... more The effects of temperature, feedstock/inoculum (F/I) ratio, and total solid (TS) content on biogas production from corn stover by solid‐state anaerobic digestion (SS‐AD) were studied. At an F/I ratio of 3.44, polysaccharide conversion under thermophilic conditions (55°C) was 32% higher than under mesophilic conditions (37°C), resulting in higher biogas yield. SS‐AD performed as expected in the TS content range of 22% to 27% at 37°C, while an increase in TS content from 22% to 27% resulted in a 29.8% decrease in biogas yield at 55°C. Particle size reduction of corn stover from 15 to 5 mm had no significant improvement on biogas yield (p > 0.05). The highest biogas production of 403.7 L kg‐1 volatile solids (VS) fed was obtained at 55°C with TS content of 22%, F/I ratio of 4.58, and particle size of 5 mm.

Conference Report: Biomass for a clean-energy future

by Brendan George

Co-authored with Ralph Sims (Massey University, NZ)

The key message to delegates and members of Bioenergy Australia from the keynote and guest speakers was that bioenergy... more The key message to delegates and members of Bioenergy Australia from the keynote and guest speakers was that bioenergy should be presented as a ‘cogent story’ to policy makers, the finance industry and the general public if it is to be more readily and widely accepted and the rate of deployment increased such that its high potential can be successfully achieved.

From opportunity to implementation: short summary of the recent Bioenergy Australia conference

by Brendan George

George BH. 2010. From opportunity to implementation: short summary of the recent Bioenergy Australia conference. Biofuels 1: 385–387.

There are significant bioenergy-related developments across a large spectrum of disciplines occurring within... more There are significant bioenergy-related developments across a large spectrum of disciplines occurring within Australia. However, linking these generally small-scale breakthroughs with the required industry-scale production demands is an ongoing challenge for scientists and engineers. To meet the energy demands of society, whilst recognizing and addressing sustainability issues, is a challenge for all levels of government in Australia and beyond. Significant policies and programs are being enacted to assist industry in delivering on sustainable energy production, but the operating conditions for businesses remain challenging. Utilizing clear, considered, long-term policy directions remains a priority for bioenergy actors in developing technology and business models.

To develop a bioenergy industry that is based on an understanding of environmental constraints and capable of delivering large-scale energy sources requires significant strategic thinking, continued robust data collection and discussion, communication and engagement.

The recent 2010 Bioenergy Australia conference, ‘From opportunity to implementation’, addressed some of these challenges.

A spatially explicit techno-economic model of bioenergy and biofuel

by Peter Tittmann

Journal of Transport Geography 2011, Co-authored with Nathan Parker, Bryan Jenkins, and Quinn Hart

This study presents a spatially explicit techno-economic Bioenergy Siting Model (BSM) of the bioenergy production... more This study presents a spatially explicit techno-economic Bioenergy Siting Model (BSM) of the bioenergy production system in California. The model describes the bioenergy system in terms of facility siting and size, conversion technology, feedstock profile, and feedstock supply chain configuration for the year 2015. The BSM expands upon previous bioenergy siting work by optimizing the system using spatially explicit feedstock supply curves, multiple potential conversion technologies and geographically determined bioenergy demand. We present sensitivity analysis demonstrating the effect of market and policy change scenarios. The model couples transportation network analysis using a Geographic Information System (GIS) with a mixed integer-linear programming (MIP) optimization model. Scenario results show total biomass resource utilization between 18 and 25 million dry tons annually at biofuel prices from $2.20 to $4.00/gallon of gasoline equivalent.

Improving the public perception of bioenergy in the EU

by Philipp Spath