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MODULE - 5
 BIO MASS ENERGY 2
Biomass – Composition and Characteristics :
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BIOMASS
 Biomass is an organic material that comes from living organisms, such as
plants and animals.
 The most common biomass materials used for energy are plants, wood,
and waste products. Biomass is one of the renewable energy sources.
 The energy from these organisms can be transformed into usable energy
through direct and indirect means.
 Biomass can be burned to create heat (direct), or processed into biofuel
(indirect).
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BIOMASS SOURCES
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 THERMO-CHEMICAL
CONVERSION OF BIOMASS
 Thermo-chemical conversion of biomass uses heat and catalysts in order to
convert biomass into thermal energy, gas or liquid which can be used either
directly for the generation of electric power and heat, or it can be further
processed into fuel and chemicals.
 Thermo-are chemical conversion of biomass can take place by the pathways
categorized as
 direct combustion,
 pyrolysis,
 gasification, and
 liquefaction.

 By using these processes, the biomassirane can be converted into either a solid
fuel, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel which can be further used for the generation of
electricity, heat, chemicals and fuels.
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COMBUSTION
 Biomass + Stoichiometric oxygen → Hot combustion products
 Combustion or burning is a complex sequence of exothermic chemical
reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of
heat or both heat and light in the form of either a glow or flames,
appearance of light flickering.
 In a complete combustion reaction, a compound reacts with an oxidizing
element, such as oxygen. the
 products are compounds of each element in the fuel with the oxidizing
element.
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PYROLYSIS
 Biomass + Heat → Charcoal, oil, gas

 Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of a condensed substance by heating.

 It does not involve reactions with oxygen or any other reagents but can take
place in their presence
 Pyrolysis is a special case of thermolysis, and is most commonly used for
organic materials.
 Extreme pyrolysis, which leaves only carbon as the residue, is called
carbonization and is related to the chemical process of charring.
 Higher efficiency is achieved by the flash pyrolysis
where finely divided feedstock is quickly heated to between 3500
and 500 0C for less than 2 seconds.
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PYROLYSIS
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PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS
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GASIFICATION
 Biomass + Limited oxygen → Fuel gas + Pyrolysis oils + Char + Ash +
Steam
 Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as
coal, petroleum, or biomass, into carbon monoxide and hydrogen by
reacting the raw material at high temperatures with a controlled amount
of oxygen and/or steam.
 The resulting gas mixture is called synthesis gas or syngas and is itself a
fuel.
 Conversion of solid fuels into combustible gas mixture called producer gas or
syngas(CO + H2 + CH4)
 Module-V-74Gasification is a thermo-chemical conversion process which can convert any matter with high carbon content into a
gaseous energy carrier. Biomass gasification is a process of converting solid biomass fuel into a gaseous combustible gas (called
producer gas) under controlled temperature (500 - 1000 deg * C) and air supply through a sequence of thermo-chemical reactions.
Produce gas is a mixture of mainly carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (C*O_{2}) nitrogen,
along with contaminants like small char particles, ash and tars. Gasifier is equipment that converts biomass into producer gas. The
ure most common raw materials used are wood chips and other wastes from wood industry, tic accoconut shells and straw.
Biomass that has high ash content such as rice husk can also be carb handled with some difficulty. This 'producer gas' is cleaned to
make it suitable for use in Deratur boilers, engines and turbines to produce heat and power. In contrast to coal, which is currently
used in several commercial gasification processes, biomass is more reactive and can be effectively gasified at lower temperatures
than coal.In a typical combustion process, generally the oxygen is surplus, while in a gasification process, the solid fuel (biomass)
is surplus (restricted supply of oxygen). The fraction process temperature for gasification ranges up from 500°C to 1000°C and
even higher in some main cases, depending on the feedstock and technology used. The following main reactions occur n. Chinside
the biomass gasifier.er whens of solrcoal seraturocarbonconsistcallednsist ofbumed1. Drying-Biomass fuels usually contain 10%-
35% moisture. When biomass is heated to about 100 °C, the moisture is converted into steam.2. Pyrolysis After drying, as heating
continues, the biomass undergoes pyrolysis. Pyrolysis involves burning biomass completely without supplying any oxygen. As a
result, the biomass is decomposed or separated into solids, liquids, and gases. Charcoalis the solid part, tar is the liquid part, and
flue gases make up the gaseous part. 3. Oxidation (combustion) Air is introduced into the gasifier after the decompositionprocess.
During oxidation, which takes place at about 700-1400°C, charcoal, or the solid carbonized fuel, reacts with the oxygen in the air to
produce C*O_{2} and heat. C + O_{2} CO₂ + Heat4. Reduction-At higher temperatures and under reducing conditions, that is
when not enough oxygen is available, the following reactions take place forming carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane.C +
C*O_{2} 2COC + H_{2}*O -> CO + H_{2}CO + H_{2}*O C*O_{2} + H_{2}C + 2H_{2} -> C*H_{4}ypesdoneraturess alsoGasifiers
are broadly classified as fixed-bed gasifier and fluidized-bed gasifier. The eated red-bed gasifiers are further classified as (a)
downdraft, (b) updraft, and (aster The pes, depending upon the depending on the relative directions of the solid flow and the gas.
The fixed bed gasifiers are suitable for small-scale applications (< 10 MW) and the fluidized ed configurations are cost effective in
large-scale applications that generate over 15 MW.d biove 10startsbasisg on
GASIFICATION 12
THERMO CHEMICAL CONVERSION PROCESS
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BIO CHEMICAL CONVERSION 14

PROCESS
 ANAEROBIC DIGESTION.

 ALCHOHOLIC FERMENTATION.
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ANAEROBIC DIGESTION.
 Method of production of biogas from waste biomass.
 The main products: biogas and innocuous digested sludge solids. Primary
and secondary sludges are degraded in anaerobic digesters.
 Primary sludge consists of the settled solids from primary clarifiers and any
colloidal wastes associated with the solids.
 Secondary sludge consists mostly of waste activated sludge or the humus
from trickling filters.
 The mixture of primary and secondary sludges, which is an ideal medium
for bacterial growth, contains 60% to 80% organic matter (dry weight) in
the forms of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
 The sludges are rich in substrates (food) and nutrients and contain a large
number and diversity of bacteria required for AD.
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BIO GAS
 Biogas is clean environment friendly fuel that can be obtained by anaerobic
digestion of animal residues and domestic and farm wastes, abundantly
available in the countryside.
 Biogas is an important renewable energy resource, especially for rural
areas in India. Average calorific value of biogas is 20MJ/m3

Component Composition
Methane(CH4) 55-65%

Carbon dioxide(CO2) 35-45%

Hydrogen sulphide(H2S) 0.5-1.0%

Water vapor Traces

MAJOR TYPES OF BIOGAS 17

PLANTS:
 Floating drum type

 Fixed dome type

FLOATING DRUM TYPE 18

BIOGAS PLANT
 KVIC type biogas plant:
 This mainly consists of a digester or pit for
fermentation and a floating drum for the
collection of gas.
 Digester is 3.5-6.5 m in depth and 1.2 to 1.6 m in diameter.
 There is a partition wall in the center, which divides the digester vertically
and submerges in the slurry when it is full.
 The digester is connected to the inlet and outlet by two pipes.
 Through the inlet, the dung is mixed with water (4:5) and loaded into the
digester. The fermented material will flow out through outlet pipe.
 The outlet is generally connected to a compost pit.
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 In the first stage, the complex, organic substances contained in the waste
are acted upon by a certain kind of bacteria, called acid formers and
broken up into small-chain simple acids.
 In the second stage, these acids are acted upon by another kind of
bacteria, called methane formers and produce methane and carbon
dioxide.
CONSTRUCTION 20
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CONSTRUCTION
 The gas holder is a drum constructed of mild steel sheets. This is
cylindrical concave shape.
 The top is supported radically with angular iron.
 The holder fits into the digester like a stopper. It sinks into the slurry due to
its own weight and rests upon the ring constructed for this purpose.
 When gas is generated the holder rises and floats freely on the surface of
slurry. A central guide pipe is provided to prevent the holder from tilting.
 The holder also acts as a seal for the gas.
 The cost of drum is about 40% of total cost of plant. It requires periodical
maintenance. The unit cost of KVIC model with a capacity of 2 m3/day
costs approximately Rs.14, 000 .
FIXED DOME TYPE
HYDROGEN
ENERGY

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AS ENERGY CARRIER
 Hydrogen is the simplest element.
 It doesn’t occur naturally as a gas on the Earth – always combined with other
elements. Eg Water.
 Holds the potential to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy supply that
can enhance economy, environment and security.
 It is non-toxic and recyclable. Due to these qualities it is considered to be
 an ideal energy carrier in the foreseeable future. (An energy carrier moves and
delivers energy in a usable form to consumers).
 When burned as fuel joins with oxygen to produce energy with water as
 the only emission. When air is used for combustion instead of oxygen,
 some NOx is also produced, which can be reduced by lowering the combustion
temperature.
HYDROGEN ENERGY SYSTEM
• The individual segments of hydrogen energy system; production,
delivery, storage, conversion and end use applications are closely
interrelated and interdependent.
• Design and application of a hydrogen economy must carefully
consider each of these segments as well as the whole system.
 Produced in centralized facilities and distributed to
an energy conversion site via pipeline or stored and
shipped via rail or road.
 It can also be produced at decentralized locations
onsite where it will be stored and/or fed directly
into conversion device for stationary, mobile or
portable applications.
PRODUCTION
 Large amounts of combined hydrogen are present in compounds such as water, fossil
fuels and biomass. It can therefore, be produced through two routes:
 Fossil fuels, such as natural gas, coal, methanol, gasoline etc., and biomass are
decomposed by thermo-chemical (steam reforming or partial oxidation) methods to
obtain hydrogen. The CO produced in the process is eliminated by water gas shift
reaction. This route of hydrogen production causes CO2 emission. The energy content
of the produced hydrogen is less than the energy content of the original fuel, some of
it being lost as excessive heat during production.
 Hydrogen can also be produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen by using
energy from nuclear or renewable sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, etc.,
through electrical or thermal means (i.e. electrolysis and thermolysis respectively).
Water splitting is also possible through bio photolysis process using solar radiation.
 Splitting of water is thus possible at the expense of renewable energy to produce
secondary fuel H2. On use, H2 and O2 recombine to produce water again and energy is
released. This route is therefore a clean and sustainable route of energy supply.
1. THERMO-CHEMICAL
METHODS

The scrubbing process is a waste gas treatment

method that involves passing a gas stream
through a liquid to remove certain gaseous
components.
2. ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER
 Simplest method of hydrogen production.
 This method is not as efficient or cost effective as thermo-chemical method.
 But it would allow for more distributed hydrogen generation and open the
possibilities for use of electricity generated from renewable and nuclear
resources for hydrogen production.
 An electrolysis cell essentially consists of two electrodes, commonly flat
metal or carbon plates, immersed in an aqueous conducting solution called
electrolyte.
 A direct current decomposes water into H2 and O2, which are released at
cathode (–ve electrode) and anode (+ve electrode) respectively.
 As water itself is poor conductor of electricity, an electrolyte, commonly
aqueous KOH is used.
 2 V per cell is applied in practice.
 Energy required is 3.9–4.6 kWh per m3 of
hydrogen produced.
 The efficiency of electrolysis process is about
60–70 per cent, improved up to 80 per cent by
using catalyst such as porous platinum or
nickel.
 Most suitable when primary energy is
available as electrical energy, e.g. solar
photovoltaic energy.
 It is also suitable where cheap electricity is
available from other sources such as wind,
geothermal, etc.
3. THERMOLYSIS OF WATER
 When primary energy is available in the form of heat (e.g. solar thermal),
it is more logical to produce hydrogen by splitting water directly from heat
energy using thermolysis.
 Direct thermal decomposition of water is possible but it requires a
temperature of at least 2500 °C.
 Thus a reaction series used, water is taken up at one stage and H2 and O2
are produced in different stages. The energy is supplied as heat at one or
more stages and partly released at some stage in the cycle.
 Apart from decomposition of water, all other materials are recovered when
the cycle is completed. Thus known as thermo-chemical cycle.
 The efficiency of conversion from heat energy to hydrogen is better than
its conversion through electrolysis route.
SEVERAL THERMO-CHEMICAL CYCLES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED AND
ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION. ONE SUCH CYCLE IS GIVEN BELOW:

At present, no commercial process for thermal splitting of water using

thermochemical cycle is in operation.
4. BIO PHOTOLYSIS
 In this method the ability of the plants (especially algae) to split water
during photosynthesis process is utilized.
 An artificial system is devised, which could produce hydrogen and oxygen
from water in sunlight using isolated photosynthetic membrane and other
catalysts.
There are three distinct functional components coupled together in the system as
shown
(i)photosynthetic membrane, which absorbs light, split water to
generate oxygen, electrons and protons
(ii)an electron mediator, which is reducible by photo-synthetically generated electrons
(iii) a proton activator that will accept electrons from the reduced mediator and catalyse the
reaction:

A system with chloroplast as a photosynthetic membrane to split hydrogen and oxygen,

ferredoxin as e– mediator and hydrogenase (an enzyme) or finely dispersed platinum as proton
activator, has been successfully tested. The method is being extensively studied further.
STORAGE
APPLICATIONS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
SYSTEM
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF RENEWABLE
ENERGY SYSTEM2S2
Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar are playing increasingly important role
in present and future energy scenarios of both developed and developing countries.
Decisions making on design and implementation of these renewable energy systems,
require knowledge of economic and life cycle assessments of these systems in order to
make an informed decision.
The decisions should be based on : understanding the importance of economics ,conduct
economic analyses such as life cycle cost, net present value, and payback period to assess
economic feasibility of engineering systems.
Environmental impact and sustainability as well as tax credit and incentives also play key
roles in conducting an economic analysis of renewable energy systems.
LIFE CYCLE
COST 23
Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is the total cost of an item during its lifetime. It is the sum of all costs –
both recurring and non-recurring – over the life of a product

Life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is used to analyze the life cycle cost of a project.
A LCCA takes into account all costs, from the cost of construction, cost of fuel

or repairs to the cost imposed by emissions

from the project. The analysis takes into account all known and projected
costs.
Costs such as the social cost from pollution are difficult to quantify and therefore the LCCA is
not exact.

The LCCA of a project allows firms to compare different projects to determine which is the
cheapest in the long term.
PAYBAC
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K TIME
Payback Period is nothing but the number of years it takes to recover the initial cash outlay

invested in a particular project.

Payback period refers to the amount of time it takes to recover the cost of an investment.

People and corporations mainly invest their money to get paid back, which is why the

payback period is so important.

The shorter payback an investment has, the more attractive it becomes.