Unit - 4 Biomass Energy

Renewable Sources of Energy
Shubham Soni
Mechanical Engineering Department
[email protected]
Biomass = Bio + Mass
 Bio mass is solid material containing carbon, which is derived from plants
and animals. ( Organic waste derived from plants and animals)
 It includes residue from forest, agriculture, animal waste and discarded

products of food processing industries.
 For example: Coconut shell, Residue of Sugar Mill, Edible Oil Refinery etc,
Rice Husk etc
 Organic Matter as it contains Carbon.
Biomass
 As it is derived from terrestrial and aquatic vegetation, it can renew itself naturally in
short span of time. Hence it is included in Renewable Source of Energy.
 It is a derivative of Solar Energy.
 As plants grow by process of photosynthesis in the presence of Sun light.
Biomass
 Biomass does not add additional carbon to atmosphere.
 It absorbs same amount of Carbon in growing plants as it releases while burning as
fuel.
 Thus energy produced is Carbon neutral.
 It is used over 90% in rural household and about 10-15 % in urban regions.
 Not Only waste but agricultural products like wheat, Maize, Sugarcane, which are
rich in Starch and Sugar can be Fermented to produce ETHANOL.
 METHANOL is also produced by distillation of biomass that contains Cellulous like
wood.
 Ethanol & Methanol can be used as fuels in engines and may also be used in
production of Bio-Diesel.
Biomass
 Biomass is a renewable source of energy and developed
from organic materials
 Sun is the energy source of all the materials of biomass.
 Biomass contains energy stored from the sun.
 Here the plants get energy from the sun through the
photosynthesis process.
 In the time of burning, the chemical energy appears as
heat from the biomass.
 This indirect source of solar energy produces carbon-
neutral electricity to power the world
Advantages of Biomass
Renewable
Source of energy
Reduces amount
of waste in Carbon Neutral
landfills
Advantages
Overdependence Less C, N, S
on fossil fuel Cheaper
Widely Available
Usable Forms of Biomass, Their Composition and Fuel Properties
 Biomass is an organic material that reacts with oxygen in
combustion and natural metabolic processes to release heat.
 Sometimes, It is used as such in its original form but more often it
is transformed into other(modern) energy forms such as liquid
and gaseous fuels, electricity and heat
 To provide energy services needed by rural and urban population
and also by industry.
 Fuel Wood
 Wood is most obvious and oldest source of biomass energy
 Main source of energy used by mankind for centuries
 Direct combustion -simplest way to obtain heat energy
 Energy Density- 16-20 MJ/kg
 Can be converted to more useful forms- Charcoal or Producer gas
 Inefficient use of fuel wood in conventional household stoves(Chulha)- only 5
percent of heat is utilized
 Lost due to wind , incomplete combustion, radiation losses and other losses-
mismatch of fire and pot size
 Smoke – Unburnt tar and carbon – Health Hazard
 Improved household stoves and use of pressure cooker is being encouraged –
Better fuel utilization
 Charcoal
 Clean(Smokeless), dry, solid fuel
 Black in color
 75- 80 percent carbon content, Energy Density- 30MJ/kg
 Carbonization process of woody biomass to achieve higher energy density per unit
mass
 Making it more economical to transport
 Domestic Purposes – Burns without smoke
 Industrial Sector- Specialized applications where specific fuel characteristics are
required such as high carbon and low Sulphur content
 Laboratory and Chemical Processes
 Used for making high quality steel
 Fuel Pellets and Briquettes
 Crop Residues such as straw, rice husk, waste wood are pressed to
form lumps – Fuel pellets/ Briquettes
 Used as solid fuel
 The Purpose is to reduce moisture content and increase energy
density of biomass
 More feasible for long distance transportation
 Bio-Diesel
 Vegetable oils, edible , non edible oils after some

chemical processing are converted to Fuel which
can be used in engines or otherwise , are called
biodiesel.
 Used in pure form or blended with petroleum or
diesel .
 Simple to use, Biodegradable, Non- Toxic,
Essentially free from Sulphur and aromatics
 Rudolf Diesel demonstrated an engine that could
run on peanut oil
 He believed that utilization of biomass fuel was
the real future of his engine

 Raw vegetable oil is upgraded as bio-diesel
through a chemical process which is called
Transesterification
 Process leaves behind two products Methyl(or
ethyl) esters (Chemical name for biodiesel),
Glycerin (Valuable byproduct usually used in
soaps)
 Biodiesel- Vegetables oil, animal fats, recycled
restaurant greases
 BXX, XX- Percentage of biodiesel contained in
the blend
 B20- 20 Percent – Biodiesel and 80 percent
petroleum
 B100- Pure biodiesel
 Jatropha and Karanj – Most promising Biodiesel
resources
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/je/
2018/4174205/
 Bio-Ethanol
 C2H5OH
 Colorless liquid biofuel
 Boiling Point – 78 degree centigrade
 Energy density -27 MJ/kg
 Derived from wet biomass containing sugars
(Sugarcane , sugar beet, sweet sorghum), Starches
(Grains, potato, cassava) or cellulose(woody
matter)
 Large number of automobiles in world are run on
ethanol.
 Brazil- Biggest producer of sugarcane.
 Major programmes- USA, Zimbabwe, Malawi
 Biogas
 Organic waste from plants, animals and human
contain enough energy to contribute significantly to
energy supply
 Aquatic biomass can also be used
 Biogas is produced in Biogas fermenter or digestor
 Nitrogen rich sludge( Fertilizer) is produced as
Byproduct
 Cow manure – Biogas – 50-60 percent of CH , 30-
4
40 percent of CO2, 5 to 10 percent of H2,
0.5 -0.7 N2 with trace amount of O2 and H2S.
 Energy Density- 23MJ/m3
 Cooking, Lighting, Heating and operating small IC
Engines.
 Producer Gas
 Woody matter such as crop residue, wood
chips, bagasse , rice husk and coconut shells
can be transformed to produce producer
gas(synthesis gas, syn gas, wood gas, water
gas and blue gas) by a method known as
gasification of solid fuel
 Composition depends on type of biomass
and the design of the gasifier
 Energy Density – 4-8 MJ/m3
 Fuel in IC engines, for irrigation pumps,
motor vehicles and small power generation
or to produce process heat.
Biomass Resources
 Biomass Resources for energy production –

Wide spectrum of materials from Silviculture
(forest), agriculture(field), aquaculture(fresh and
sea water) and industrial and social activities that
produce organic waste residues.
 When plants are cultivated especially for the
purpose of energy – Energy Farming
 Forests
 Natural as well as cultivated – Source of fuel wood, charcoal and
producer gas
 Fast growing energy intensive tress- Eucalyptus, Polar, Pine –
Cultivated for the purpose of energy
 Some plants produce seeds(or nuts) to yield vegetable oil on
pressing – Serves as liquid biofuel( Bio-Diesel)
 Two categories of oil producing plants
 Wild Plants- Jojoba,(nuts) Karanj(seeds) – Take care of themselves
 Agricultural Crops- Jatropha Curcas (Ratanjyot)- Require common
agricultural techniques
 More than 300 different species of oil bearing trees
 Most of them are wild and do not require care and effort
 Quite hardy, require little water, Can resist severe drought and
pests, can survive in hot and cold climates and can grow on most
soil types.
 Agricultural Residues
 Crop residues such as straw, rice husk, coconut shell, groundnut shell, sugarcane
bagasse are gasified to obtain producer gas
 Alternatively, these are converted to fuel pellets or briquettes and used as solid fuels.
 Energy Crops- Certain cultivated plants produce raw material for biofuels.
 Greatest Potential for energy farming – Tropical Countries , especially those with
adequate rainfall and soil conditions.
 1. Sugar Plants
 Sugarcane – Major raw material source for bio-ethanol
 Alcohol represents only 30 percent of sugar cane energy
 35 percent is available in bagasse
 35 percent in leaves and tops of the sugar cane plant
 Sugar Sorghum – Supplies raw material for ethanol
production, especially during off-season supply for the sugar
mills
 Sugar Beet – Raw material for ethanol Production
 2.Starch Plants
 Jerusalem Artichoke – Raw material for bio ethanol
 Tubular plant
 Can be grown on marginal lands and relatively poor soil
 (Marginal land is land that has little or no agricultural or
industrial value)
 Able to withstand adverse conditions such as cold and draught
conditions
 Cassava – tubular plant
 Complementary to sugarcane as it can be cultivated in areas
with acidic infertile soils, whereas cane requires more amenable
soil
 Provides raw material (starch) for bio-ethanol
 3. Grains – Maize, Barley, Rice, Wheat provide starch-
Can be converted into ethanol oil
 Oil Producing Plants

 Sunflower, Rapeseed, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Soybean,
Groundnut, Cotton seed
 Advantages/ Benefits
 Aquatic Plants – Raw materials for producing bio-

ethanol or biogas
 Water Hyacinth, Kelp, Seaweed, Algae
 Urban Waste – (a) MSW or garbage (b) Sewage

(Liquid Waste)
 Energy from MSW can be obtained from direct
combustion or as a landfill gas
 Sewage can be used to produce biogas after some

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Renewable Sources of Energy

 It includes residue from forest, agriculture, animal waste and discarded

 Vegetable oils, edible , non edible oils after some

 Biomass Resources for energy production –

 Oil Producing Plants

 Aquatic Plants – Raw materials for producing bio-

 Urban Waste – (a) MSW or garbage (b) Sewage

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