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Energy Production from Biomass (Part 2)

Article  in  Bioresource Technology · June 2002

DOI: 10.1016/S0960-8524(01)00119-5 · Source: PubMed

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 Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54

Review paper

Energy production from biomass (part 2): conversion technologies

Peter McKendry *,1

Applied Environmental Research Centre Ltd, Tey Grove, Elm Lane, Feering, Colchester CO5 9ES, UK
Accepted 6 July 2001

Abstract
The use of biomass to provide energy has been fundamental to the development of civilisation. In recent times pressures on the
global environment have led to calls for an increased use of renewable energy sources, in lieu of fossil fuels. Biomass is one potential
source of renewable energy and the conversion of plant material into a suitable form of energy, usually electricity or as a fuel for an
internal combustion engine, can be achieved using a number of different routes, each with specific pros and cons. A brief review of
the main conversion processes is presented, with specific regard to the production of a fuel suitable for spark ignition gas en-
gines.
2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Biomass; Energy conversion; Renewables; Gasification; Pyrolysis

1. Introduction view of the potential bio-energy conversion processes is

outlined, with emphasis on producing a gaseous fuel for
The conversion of biomass to energy (also called bio- spark ignition gas engines (s.i.g.es). The purpose of the
energy) encompasses a wide range of different types and gaseous fuel is to supplement (diminishing) supplies of
sources of biomass, conversion options, end-use appli- landfill gas, the methane-rich gas produced by the an-
cations and infrastructure requirements. Biomass can be aerobic degradation of organic wastes in a waste dis-
derived from the cultivation of dedicated energy crops, posal (or landfill) site. Landfill gas is widely used in
such as short rotation coppice (SRC), perennial grasses, power generation schemes to produce electricity for
etc.; by harvesting forestry and other plant residues export to the generating companies.
(forest thinnings, straw, etc.); and from biomass wastes Electricity produced from landfill gas is classified as a
such as sludge from organic industrial waste and organic renewable energy source and as such attracts a premium
domestic waste or the wastes themselves. In each case sale value per unit, i.e. per kW hðeÞ . The typical power
the biomass feedstock has to be harvested/collected, generation scheme uses s.i.g.es coupled to a generator,
transported and possibly stored, before being processed with the engine-generator combination packaged in a
into a form suitable for the chosen energy conversion container. The use of landfill gas to produce electricity
technology. allows the opportunity to use the restored landfill sur-
The use of biomass to produce energy is only one form face to produce biomass for processing into a fuel for
of renewable energy that can be utilised to reduce the s.i.g.es, thereby helping to promote waste disposal by
impact of energy production and use on the global envi- landfill as a sustainable form of waste management.
ronment. As with any energy resource there are limita-
tions on the use and applicability of biomass and it must
compete not only with fossil fuels but with other renew- 2. Bio-energy conversion: process options
able energy sources such as wind, solar and wave power.
In a previous paper (McKendry, 2001) an overview of Biomass can be converted into useful forms of energy
the sources and main types of biomass and typical plant using a number of different processes. Factors that in-
characteristics was presented. In this paper, a brief re- fluence the choice of conversion process are: the type
and quantity of biomass feedstock; the desired form of
the energy, i.e. end-use requirements; environmental
*
Present address: Green Acre, Dark Lane, Bristol BS40 8QD, UK.
standards; economic conditions; and project specific
Tel.: +44-1242-269685.. factors. In many situations it is the form in which the
1
MSE Ltd, Arle Crt, Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham GL51 6PN. energy is required that determines the process route,

0960-8524/02/$ - see front matter
2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 6 0 - 8 5 2 4 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 1 1 9 - 5
48 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54

followed by the available types and quantities of bio- 3. Thermo-chemical conversion

mass.
Biomass can be converted into three main products: Three main processes are used for the thermo-chem-
two related to energy – power/heat generation and ical conversion of biomass, together with two lesser-used
transportation fuels – and one as a chemical feedstock. options. The main processes, the intermediate energy
Amongst the options for energy conversion that form the carriers and the final energy products resulting from
basis of this study, only those that produce a fuel suitable thermo-chemical conversion are illustrated in the flow-
for use in an s.i.g.e. are the main focus of this study. chart shown in Fig. 2.
However, a brief overview of energy conversion options
is presented by way of general background information. 3.1. Combustion
Conversion of biomass to energy is undertaken using
two main process technologies: thermo-chemical and The burning of biomass in air, i.e. combustion, is
bio-chemical/biological. Mechanical extraction (with used over a wide range of outputs to convert the
esterification) is the third technology for producing en- chemical energy stored in biomass into heat, mechanical
ergy from biomass, e.g. rapeseed methyl ester (RME) power, or electricity using various items of process
bio-diesel. Currently the cost of bio-diesel compared equipment, e.g. stoves, furnaces, boilers, steam turbines,
with fossil fuel makes the technology uncompetitive but turbo-generators, etc. Combustion of biomass produces
increasing environmental pressures to improve air hot gases at temperatures around 800–1000 C. It is
quality, especially in cities, may change this situation in possible to burn any type of biomass but in practice
the near future. combustion is feasible only for biomass with a moisture
Within thermo-chemical conversion four process content <50%, unless the biomass is pre-dried. High
options are available: combustion, pyrolysis, gasifica- moisture content biomass is better suited to biological
tion and liquefaction. Bio-chemical conversion encom- conversion processes.
passes two process options: digestion (production of The scale of combustion plant ranges from very small
biogas, a mixture of mainly methane and carbon diox- scale (e.g. for domestic heating) up to large-scale in-
ide) and fermentation (production of ethanol). dustrial plants in the range 100–3000 MW. Co-com-
A distinction can be made between the energy carriers bustion of biomass in coal-fired power plants is an
produced from biomass by their ability to provide heat, especially attractive option because of the high conver-
electricity and engine fuels. A useful means of compar- sion efficiency of these plants (Mitsui Babcock, 1997;
ing biomass and fossil fuels is in terms of their O:C and Aston University and DK Teknik, 1993; Warren Spring
H:C ratios, known as a Van Krevlen diagram, shown in Laboratory, 1993a,b; EU, 1999; Aston University,
Fig. 1. The lower the respective ratios the greater the 1986).
energy content of the material. The major conversion Net bio-energy conversion efficiencies for biomass
technologies and processes are discussed in the following combustion power plants range from 20% to 40%. The
sections. higher efficiencies are obtained with systems over 100
MWe or when the biomass is co-combusted in coal-fired
power plants. Combustion per se is not considered any
further in this study, as it does not produce a fuel suit-
able for use in either an s.i.g.e. or a gas turbine. One heat
engine cycle, the Stirling cycle, uses combustion to
provide shaft power directly but the development of the
cycle is presently limited to small power outputs.

3.2. Gasification

Gasification is the conversion of biomass into a

combustible gas mixture by the partial oxidation of
biomass at high temperatures, typically in the range
800–900 C. The low calorific value (CV) gas produced
3
(about 4–6 MJ=N m ) can be burnt directly or used as a
fuel for gas engines and gas turbines (LRZ, 1993; Nat-
ural Resources Institute, 1996). The product gas can be
used as a feedstock (syngas) in the production of
chemicals (e.g. methanol).
One promising concept is the biomass integrated
Fig. 1. Van Krevelen diagram for various solid fuels. gasification/combined cycle (BIG/CC), where gas tur-
 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54 49

Biomass
Feedstock

Thermochemical Liquefaction/ Hydro-

Combustion Gasification Pyrolysis
Process Thermal upgrading

Intermediate
Hot Gases
Process Low Energy Medium-Energy Char Hydrocarbons
Gas Gas

Final Product Steam

Internal Syn Liquids Fuel Oil
Process Fuel Gases
Combustion Methanol and
Heat Methane
Engines Gasoline Distillates
Electricity

Fig. 2. Main processes, intermediate energy carriers and final energy products from the thermo-chemical conversion of biomass.

bines convert the gaseous fuel to electricity with a high Up to 35% yield
overall conversion efficiency. An important advantage Charcoal
(Carbonisation, slow pyrolysis)
of BIG/CC systems is that the gas is cleaned before
being combusted in the turbine, allowing more compact
and less costly gas cleaning equipment to be used, as the
volume of gas to be cleaned is reduced. The integration
of gasification and combustion/heat recovery ensures a
high conversion efficiency, producing net efficiencies of Pyrolysis Up to 80% yield
Bio-Oil
(flash pyrolysis, low temperature)
40–50% (based on the lower heating value of the in-
coming gas) for a plant of 30–60 MWðeÞ capacity.
However, BIG/CC technology is currently only at the
demonstration stage (Mitsui Babcock, 1997; EU, 1999;
Aston University, 1986).
The production of syngas from biomass allows the Up to 80% yield
Fuel Gas
production of methanol and hydrogen, each of which (flash pyrolysis, low temperature)
may have a future as fuels for transportation. In the
production of methanol, either hydrogen-indirect or Fig. 3. Energy products from pyrolysis.
oxygen-blown gasification processes are favoured, be-
cause of the higher value CV gas (typically 9–11
MJ=N m3 ) produced by these processes: such schemes Problems with the conversion process and subsequent
are currently close to demonstration. use of the oil, such as its poor thermal stability and its
corrosivity, still need to be overcome. Upgrading bio-
oils by lowering the oxygen content and removing al-
3.3. Pyrolysis
kalis by means of hydrogenation and catalytic cracking
of the oil may be required for certain applications.
Pyrolysis is the conversion of biomass to liquid
Possible treatment and upgrading options for bio-oil are
(termed bio-oil or bio-crude), solid and gaseous frac-
shown in Fig. 4.
tions, by heating the biomass in the absence of air to
around 500 C: Fig. 3 depicts the range and possible
yields of pyrolysis energy products. Pyrolysis can be 3.4. Other processes
used to produce predominantly bio-oil if flash pyrolysis
is used, enabling the conversion of biomass to bio-crude Other processes that produce bio-oils are hydro ther-
with an efficiency of up to 80% (Aston University and mal upgrading (HTU) and liquefaction. HTU converts
DK Teknik, 1993; EU, 1999; Aston University, 1996). biomass in a wet environment at high pressure to partly
The bio-oil can be used in engines and turbines and its oxygenated hydrocarbons: the process is believed to be
use as a feedstock for refineries is also being considered. almost at the pilot stage. The interest in liquefaction is
50 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54

Hydrogen Liquids Naphtha and (e.g. sugar cane, sugar beet) and starch crops (e.g. maize,
Hydrotreating Refining
Diesel wheat). The biomass is ground down and the starch
converted by enzymes to sugars, with yeast then con-
Bio-oil
Liquids verting the sugars to ethanol. Purification of ethanol by
Refining
distillation is an energy-intensive step, with about 450 l
High Octane
Zeolites Gasoline of ethanol being produced per ton of dry corn. The solid
and Fuel Oil
residue from the fermentation process can be used as
Conversion cattle-feed and in the case of sugar cane, the bagasse can
Olefinic
Gases be used as a fuel for boilers or for subsequent gasifica-
Fig. 4. Treatment and upgrading options for bio-oil. tion (Coombs, 1996).
The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (such as
wood and grasses) is more complex, due to the presence
low because the reactors and fuel-feeding systems are of longer-chain polysaccharide molecules and requires
more complex and more expensive than pyrolysis pro- acid or enzymatic hydrolysis before the resulting sugars
cesses. Liquefaction is the conversion of biomass into a can be fermented to ethanol. Such hydrolysis techniques
stable liquid hydrocarbon using low temperatures and are currently at the pre-pilot stage.
high hydrogen pressures (Warren Spring Laboratory,
1993a). A generalised conceptual flow sheet for lique-
faction is shown in Fig. 5. 4.2. Anaerobic digestion

AD is the conversion of organic material directly to a

gas, termed biogas, a mixture of mainly methane and
4. Bio-chemical conversion carbon dioxide with small quantities of other gases such
as hydrogen sulphide (EU, 1999). The biomass is con-
Two main processes are used, fermentation and an- verted by bacteria in an anaerobic environment, pro-
aerobic digestion (AD), together with a lesser-used ducing a gas with an energy content of about 20–40% of
process based on mechanical extraction/chemical con- the lower heating value of the feedstock. AD is a com-
version. mercially proven technology and is widely used for
treating high moisture content organic wastes, i.e. +80–
4.1. Fermentation 90% moisture. Biogas can be used directly in s.i.g.e. and
gas turbines and can be upgraded to higher quality i.e.
Fermentation is used commercially on a large scale in natural gas quality, by the removal of CO2 . Used as a
various countries to produce ethanol from sugar crops fuel in s.i.g.e. to produce electricity only, the overall

CH 4 CO 2 Light Aqueous
Organics Phase

H2 /CO
Strippers Condensers

Fresh H /CO
2 Gas and
Vapours
Biomass
Catalyst Slurry
Preheater Convertor
Liquid Carrier Preparation

Slurry

Solid-Liquid
Separation
Aqueous
Phase Oils
Unconverted
Solids

Fig. 5. Flow sheet for liquefaction.

 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54 51

conversion efficiency from biomass to electricity is about crops, such as oilseed rape, cotton and groundnuts.
10–16%. As with any power generation system using an The process produces not only oil but also a residual
internal combustion engine as the prime mover, waste solid or ‘cake’, which is suitable for animal fodder.
heat from the engine oil and water-cooling systems and Three tons of rapeseed are required per ton of rape-
the exhaust could be recovered using a combined heat seed oil produced. Rapeseed oil can be processed
and power system. A typical flow sheet for processing further by reacting it with alcohol using a process
biomass using AD is shown in Fig. 6. termed esterification to obtain RME or bio-diesel
(Warren Spring Laboratory, 1993a). RME is used in
4.3. Mechanical extraction some European countries as a supplementary trans-
port fuel. Fig. 7 depicts a generalised flow sheet for
Extraction is a mechanical conversion process used the production of methyl ester bio-diesel and the by-
to produce oil from the seeds of various biomass product glycerine.

Biomass Magnet/
Weigher Conveyor
Destoner

Pulp Mill

Biogas Anaerobic Digester Digestate

Engine/
Digestate
Generator

Decanter Solids

Electricity

Liquid Composter

Aerobic
Irrigation Water Compost
Treatment

Sewer

Fig. 6. Flow sheet for the AD of biomass.

52 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54

Methylester Methylester
Refining Biodiesel

Vegetable
Oils

Industrial
Methyl Trans-Esterification Glycerol
Quality
Alcohol (Multiphase) Purification
Glycerine

Catalyst

Methyl Alchohol Glycerol Pharmaceutical Quality

Recovery Distillation Glycerine

Fig. 7. Flow sheet for the production of methylester bio-diesel and glycerin.

5. Total bio-energy systems, energy ratios and energy compared to the conventional fuel life cycle. Therefore
yields an energy ratio below 1 implies that the energy input is
higher than the energy output. Ethanol production from
To evaluate the performance of a bio-energy con- maize, wheat and beet, gives energy ratios between 0.9
version system, the entire chain from biomass produc- and 1.5, indicating that there may be no net energy
tion up to the end-use needs to be considered. A major production in certain situations, if the required energy
criterion for comparing the total bio-energy systems is input is provided by fossil fuels. Projections, based on
the net energy yield per hectare. The term net energy improved technologies and low-input, high-yield crops,
yield refers to the gross energy produced by the biomass, indicate possible energy ratios between 2 and 3. Current
less the energy provided from the fossil fuels used in the production of RME from rapeseed has an energy ratio
production and processing of the biomass, including of about 1.5 and assuming an improved production
components of agricultural fuels, agricultural chemicals, system, up to 3. By comparison electricity produced
transport fuels, process fuels and process chemicals. from burning wood has an energy ratio 6–7 and values
If the net yield value is low, the amount of land re- of 10–15 are considered feasible. For methanol, an en-
quired for the production of a given quantity of net ergy ratio 6–12 is foreseen as possible in the longer term.
energy is high and vice versa. As land is often a scarce
commodity in many parts of the world, a high net en-
5.2. Energy yields
ergy yield per hectare is favoured. The environmental
impact of a specific energy crop is also an important
Table 1 compares the net energy yield per hectare of
criterion in the selection process, together with the cost
ethanol produced from wheat and beet, RME produc-
of the biomass per GJ of energy produced (or per GJ of
tion and electricity-from-wood. Electricity-from-wood is
fossil energy replaced). The relative significance of the
the favoured option in the IEA study, although in the
net energy yield and the environmental impact of a
particular biomass species will vary from one country to
another and also from one region to another in the same
country, depending on the relative socio-economic and Table 1
political factors. Net energy yields per hectare per year of some energy crops (IEA for
NW Europe) (IEA, 1994)

5.1. Energy ratios Bio-energy type Cxurrent context Future technology

(GJ/ha/yr) (GJ/ha/yr)

The International Energy Agency (IEA, 1994) has Ethanol from grain Average 2 36
(replaces petrol)
made a comprehensive comparison of the bio-energy Ethanol from sugar beet Average 30 139
production chains for: ethanol from maize and sugar (replaces petrol)
beet; RME from rapeseed; and methanol and electricity RME production 17 41
production from wood. (replaces diesel)
The energy ratio of a bio-energy chain is expressed as Electricity from wood 110 165
(replaces power generation)
the ratio of the energy output versus the energy input,
 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54 53

longer- term ethanol from beet may also provide a rel- economic basis alone, bio-energy replacements for pet-
atively high value of energy production per hectare. rol or diesel do not presently appear able to compete
Other studies on energy yields however give a differ- with fossil sources.
ent ranking which serves to highlight the potential
variations that can be obtained for apparently identical
bio-energy systems. One study obtained higher net en- 6. Conclusions
ergy yields for ethanol produced from wheat and from
RME but in the longer term, the net energy yields of the Based on the information and data presented, the
selected crops are of the same order of magnitude. The following findings are suggested:
main explanations for the reported differences appear to • the two main technologies presently used to convert
be due to pessimistic estimates of the yield for wood biomass into energy are thermo-chemical and bio-
production by SRC (e.g. willow) and optimistic as- chemical;
sumptions associated with energy production from • selection of a conversion technology for biomass de-
wheat straw and oilseed rape. For example, the IEA pends upon the form in which the energy is required;
study assumed 10 odt/ha/yr for SRC in the current • pyrolysis, fermentation and mechanical extraction
context and 12 odt for the longer term, while other (trans-esterification) all produce liquid fuels suitable
studies used 8 odt/ha/yr as the current yield and 10 odt/ for use as transportation fuels;
ha/yr for the longer-term yield. The large difference be- • other conversion processes produce energy in a form
tween the energy yields for RME and wheat is caused by that is best used at the point of production i.e. hot air/
the difference in the assumed production of additional steam or a gas;
energy derived from utilisation of the straw residue. • pyrolysis oils and liquid fuels (such as RME) are suit-
To put biomass fuels into perspective in relation to able only for diesel cycle engines;
conventional fossil fuels, Table 2 gives the energy den- • alcohol-based liquid fuels and combustible gases are
sities for some fossil fuels compared with a typical bio- suitable for use in s.i.g.e.;
mass source, i.e. wood. It can be seen that in terms of • alcohol-based liquid fuels produced by fermentation
transport and storage, biomass incurs considerable dis- are considered too costly for use in stationary s.i.g.e.;
advantages in relation to fossil fuels (Transport Studies • only gas from gasification/pyrolysis and AD is cur-
Group, 1996). rently a cost-effective fuel for use in static s.i.g.e.
Comparing the energy yield data shown in Table 1 on Having identified that gasification, pyrolysis and AD
a cost basis with conventional fuel costs produces the are the most likely cost-effective processes to produce a
cost ratios shown in Table 3. The large cost ranges are fuel suitable for an s.i.g.e., further consideration indi-
due to the variation in the performance ranges of bio- cates that while all of the processes are (technically) able
energy systems. Fossil fuel prices are assumed constant to produce a suitable fuel, only gasification is likely to be
and calculations assume a 5% discount rate. It can be commercially viable. This finding is based on consider-
seen that in the long term the most economic bio-energy ation of the greater overall conversion efficiency of gas
system will be the one based on the production of production via gasification and the proven operational
electricity from wood, equalling or bettering electricity history and performance of gasifiers using purpose-
production from traditional fossil fuels. Similarly, on an grown, biomass feedstock.
Pyrolysis is a rapidly developing technology with
great potential but the process is inherently better suited
Table 2 to producing a fuel oil, more suited to use in diesel en-
Comparison of biomass and fossil fuel energy densities gines and gas turbines. AD also has its place both as a
Liquefied natural gas 56 GJ/t conversion process to provide a gaseous fuel and as a
Mineral oil 42 GJ/t treatment process for high moisture content industrial
Coal 28 GJ/t organic wastes, such ’difficult’ or wet biomass wastes
Biomass (wood, 50% moisture) 8 GJ/t
like MSW and sewage sludge. In terms of providing a

Table 3
Cost ratios of bio-energy systems compared to conventional fuel costs (within the EU) (IEA, 1994)
Bio-energy system Biofuel production cost Possible future biofuel production
(1991 crop prices) (based on world market/lowest prices)
Ethanol production from wheat (replacing petrol) 4.7–5.9 2.9–3.5
Ethanol production from beet (replacing petrol) 5–5.7 4.2–4.5
RME production (replacing diesel) 5.5–7.8 2.8–3.3
Methanol production from wood (replacing petrol) n/a 1.9–2.2
Electricity production from wood (replacing grid electricity) 1.3–1.9 0.8–1.1
54 P. McKendry / Bioresource Technology 83 (2002) 47–54

cost-effective process route to produce a gaseous fuel for International Energy Agency, 1994. Biofuels. Energy and Environ-
stationary s.i.g.e., gasification is the preferred conver- mental Policy Analysis Series, OECD/IEA, Paris.
LRZ Ltd., 1993. Downdraft Gasifiers under 200 kWe. ETSU, B/M3/
sion process. 00388/04/Rep.
In a subsequent paper, gasification processes are ex- McKendry, P., 2001. Energy production from biomass (part 1):
amined in more detail. overview of biomass. Bioresource Technology 83 (1), 37–46.
Mitsui Babcock Ltd., 1997. Studies on the Thermal Processing of
Biomass and Waste Materials. ETSU, B/T1/00358/Rep.
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