BIOMASS AS AN

ALTERNATIVE FUEL
By: Justin Lessner

What is Biomass?
Biomass is any
organic matter.
Including trees,
plants, plant fiber,
and animal wastes.
Biomass is a
renewable energy
source

What is Bioenergy?
The energy stored in biomass is called
bioenergy.
Bioenergy is very versatile: It can be used to
provide heat, make fuels, and generate
electricity.
Many bioenergy sources are replenished
through the cultivation of fast growing grasses,
trees, and agricultural residues like vegetable
oils, wheat straw, or corn.

How Much Biomass is

Out There?
The United States has enough land and
agricultural networks to sustainably
replace half of the nations gasoline use
or all of its nuclear energy.
Millions of tons of unused agricultural
waste, manure, and sawdust has the
potential to generate energy.

Bioenergy sources are

common throughout the
United states.

Biomass Sources
Every year, the agricultural industry produces
millions of tons of waste that could be utilized
for energy production.
In addition, the forest products industry also
produces countless tons of waste that can be
used as an energy source.
Energy crops, such as willows and switchgrass
can be grown for the specific purpose of
energy production.

Biomass Sources
In the Midwest, farmers grow corn and
soybeans that can be used for ethanol
production
In the Southeast, hybrid willow trees have been
used as an energy crop.
In the Northwest and Northeast, the forest
products industry uses its wastes and residues
to make electricity and heat for its own
operations.

Environmental
Benefits of Biomass

No Net Increase In
Carbon Dioxide

 The burning of fossil fuels releases

carbon dioxide captured by
photosynthesis millions of years ago.
In contrast, carbon dioxide released
through the consumption of biomass is
balanced by carbon dioxide captured in
the recent growth of biomass
This results in a far less net impact on
greenhouse gas levels.

Environmental Benefits
(cont.)

Use of waste that would normally go to

landfills. An estimated 350 million tons of
waste that goes to landfills could be used for
energy production
Encourages the preservation of agricultural
land that would otherwise be sold for
development.
Encourages sustainable agricultural
techniques for bioenergy crops.

Economic Benefits of
Biomass

Economic Benefits of
Biomass $$$$$$$$$$$$
Rural economic development and stability: US
spends $50 billion each year on importing oil.
Biomass could replace half of this.
The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture estimates that
17,000 jobs are generated in the U.S. for every
billion gallons of ethanol produced.
Defending US access to foreign oil markets is
very costly. Diversification of fuel sources
would cut down on military spending and shift
the focus to domestic welfare.

Biomass
National

and The
Energy Policy

A main goal of George W. Bushs

National Energy Policy is to increase the
domestic energy supplies of the U.S.
Biomass and biofuels can be produced
within the United States.
As a result, the use of biomass directly
supports the National Energy Policy by
reducing US dependence on foreign oil.

Dept. of Energy Biomass

Program
The Biomass Program operated by the
US Dept. of Energy develops technology
for conversion of biomass to valuable
fuels, chemicals, materials, and power.
One of the main purposes of the program
is to reduce US dependence on foreign
oil and to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Biofuels For
Transportation

Biofuels
Biomass is one of the few renewable
sources for transportation fuels
Biofuels produce fewer emissions than
petroleum fuels
The two main types of biofuels are
ethanol and biodiesel

Ethanol
Also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol.
Ethanol is made from the starch in certain
grains, such as wheat, corn, or corn
byproducts.
Ethanol production usually begins with the
grinding up of biomass such as wheat or corn.
Once ground up, the starch or cellulose is
converted into sugar.
The sugar is then fed into microbes that use it
for food, producing ethanol in the process.

Ethanol Production
Facility

Ethanol Production
The US ethanol industry produced more than
3.3 billion gallons of ethanol in 2004, up from
2.8 billion gallons in 2003.
As states continue to ban the use of MTBE
(Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) for use in gasoline,
ethanol consumption will continue to rise.
As a result, efforts to increase the supply are
necessary to keep up with demand.

New Ethanol
Technologies
Currently, research is being conducted for
making ethanol from the cellulose (fiber)
component in biomass, like municipal solid
wastes and agricultural residues.
This type of ethanol is called bioethanol.
The use of bioethanol reduces the emission of
carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

Ethanol Uses
Each year, the US
blends more than 1.5
billion gallons of
ethanol with gasoline
to improve vehicle
performance and
reduce air pollution

Ethanol Uses (Cont.)

Most gasoline blends contain about 10
percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline.
All vehicles are equipped to handle this
mixture.
Such a mixture reduces greenhouse
gases by up to 4 percent.

E85 Fuel
Fuel containing 85 percent gasoline and
15 percent ethanol can be used in flexible
fuel vehicles.
The use of E85 fuel reduces the emission
of greenhouse gases by up to 37 percent.
E85 is considered an alternative fuel
under the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

E85 Fuel
Vehicles that run on E85 are called
Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV).
Many vehicle manufacturers offer FFVs.
Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Mercedes all
offer FFVs.
Each year car makers produce more
than 700,000 flexible fuel vehicles.

Examples of FFVs
Many popular SUVs
and luxury vehicles
can use E85 fuel with
little or no additional
cost.

E85 Benefits
E85 is easy to use and handle- Fueling
equipment for E85 is only slightly
different then equipment used for
petroleum.
Reduces Petroleum ConsumptionUsing E85 reduces dependence on
foreign oil markets.
Environmental Benefits- E85 reduces
greenhouse gas emissions by 37
percent.
FFVs are available and affordable.

Various interest groups throughout the

state and country are actively involved
in promoting the benefits of ethanol

Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a
domestically
produced renewable
fuel that can be
made from vegetable
oils, animal fats or
recycled restaurant
greases.

History of Biodiesel
Dr. Rudolf Diesel actually invented the diesel engine
to run on a myriad of fuels including vegetable oil.
In 1911, He stated: the diesel engine can be fed
with vegetable oils and would help considerably in
the development of agriculture of the countries
which use it.
He added: the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels
may seem insignificant today but such oils may
become in course of time as important as petroleum
and the coal tar products of the present time.

Benefits of Biodiesel
A 2001 study completed by the U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture found that an average
annual increase of 200 million gallons of
soy based biodiesel demand would boost
total crop cash receipts by $5.2 billion by
2010.
The same increase in consumption would
increase the price for a bushel of
soybeans by 17 cents.

Biodiesel Today
Like ethanol, biodiesel is primarily used as a
fuel blend. Most diesel blends are comprised
of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent
petroleum diesel.
No additional modifications need to be added
to a vehicle that runs on this biodiesel mixture.
In addition, higher blends, even pure biodiesel
can be used in many engines built since 1994
with little or no modifications.

How is Biodiesel Made?

Fats and oils are chemically reacted with
methanol to produce chemical
compounds known as fatty acid methyl
esters. Biodiesel is the name given
these esters when theyre intended for
use as a fuel.
Currently, there is enough feedstock to
supply 1.9 billion gallons of biodiesel.

Biodiesel Production

- Much of the infrastructure for the

production
of biodiesel is already in place.

Emissions From
Biodiesel Vehicles
Emission

B100

B20

Carbon
Monoxide

-47%

-12%

Hydrocarbons

-67%

-20%

Particulates

-48%

-12%

Nitrogen
Oxides

+10%

+2%

Air Toxics

-60%-90%

-12%-20%

Mutagenicity

-80%-90%

-20%

Illinois Clean School Bus

Grants
On September 14, 2004 Governor
Blagojevich gave 19 school districts in
Illinois grants for clean school buses.
These grants funded a total of 114 school
buses that will use biodiesel fuel.

EPA Clean School Bus

Grants
The Environmental Protection Agency offers
grants to school districts throughout the United
States to encourage the use of biodiesel.
The Olympia School District in Illinois received
such a grant in 2002. Currently, all 33 of its
buses use biodiesel fuel.
The buses in Olympia School District travel
more than 600,000 miles per year.

Biopower
Biopower is the process of using biomass
(plant and organic matter) to generate
electricity.
Biomass has been used for lighting, cooking,
and heating ever since humans first discovered
fire.
Today, hundreds of US power plants use
biomass resources to produce 65 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

Biopower
Biomass is the single largest source of
non-hydro renewable electricity.
The majority of electricity produced from
biomass is used as base load power in
the existing electrical distribution system.
More than 200 companies generate
biomass power in the U.S.

Biopower
The wood and paper
industries generate
and use about twothirds of this power.
Biomass is the single
largest source of
non-hydro renewable
electricity.

Environmental Benefits
of Biopower
Although biopower production results in
increased particulate emissions, they are
cleaner than coal fired power plants because
they do not release sulfur dioxide.
Additionally, bioenergy systems are carbon
dioxide neutral because the plant material
absorbs as much carbon dioxide during its life
as released when it is burned to produce
electricity.

Types of Biopower
systems
There are three different types of
biopower systems: direct-fire, cofiring, and gasification.

Direct-Fire
Direct firing involves burning biomass directly
to produce steam. This steam is then captured
and directed to spin a turbine that produces
electricity.
This system is very similar to conventional
power production that produces electricity.
Most of todays biopower plants use a direct
combustion system

Direct fire plant

Co-Firing
Co-firing is similar to direct firing except
for the fact that biomass materials are
burned in combination with a fossil fuel,
most often coal, in a high efficiency
boiler.
Utility companies use this approach to
reduce overall air pollution emissions,
most notably sulfur dioxide.

Gasification
Gasification systems are quite different from the
other two methods.
Gasification involves using high temperatures in
an oxygen starved environment to convert
biomass into a gas.
This gas can then be used to fuel a combinedcycle gas turbine.
Gasification is the preferred method given that
combined gas-turbines are the most efficient of
all power conversion technologies.

Gasification Plant

Future Prospects of
Bioenergy
Bioenergy is generally cost competitive with
fossil fuel generated electricity when biomass
residue prices are very low or negative.
Transportation costs are key to the price so
biomass power plants must be sited near an
ongoing, reliable biomass source.
Most analysts believe that the economics of
bioenergy will improve with higher efficiencies.

Biorefinery
A biorefinery is a facility that breaks down
biomass into fuels, power, and chemicals
than can be used for human use.
By producing many different products, a
biorefinery can take advantage of the
differences in biomass components and
maximize the value derived from
biomass.

Biorefinery Concept

Biorefinery
To be cost effective, a biorefinery would
have to be located near a specific
biomass resource, like a cornfield.
Biorefineries are closely modeled after
petroleum refineries. A lot of the
technology for an efficient biorefinery has
already been developed.

Biobased Products
Biomass can also be used to make everyday
products that are usually produced using fossil
fuels
Any product that we can make from fossil fuels
can be identically made from biomass.
Moreover, biobased products most often
require less energy to produce than petroleum
based products.

Biobased Products
The U.S. already produces more than 300
billion pounds of biobased products each year,
not including food.
Examples of biobased products include:
plastics, cleaning products, natural fibers,
natural structural materials, and industrial
chemicals.
Biorefineries can be used to produce a variety
of products that can be made from biomass.
As a result, many people predict that
biorefineries could become commonplace.

Biobased Products
DuPont has recently developed a
biobased method that uses corn instead
of petroleum based processes to produce
a polymer platform for use in clothing,
carpets, and automobile interiors.
Additionally, Cargill Dow has a biorefinery
in Blair, Nebraska that is currently
producing polymers from corn sugar.

Local Biomass
Initiatives
The Great Lakes Biomass State
Regional Partnership consists of Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The Partnership was established by the
Dept. of Energy and is designed to
encourage greater production and use of
biomass for energy generation.

The Great Lakes Biomass

State Regional Partnership
A grant is awarded annually to each state
in the partnership to promote the use of
biomass and retain a project leader
knowledgeable about biomass energy on
the staff of each state energy office.
These state offices perform resource
assessments, demonstration projects,
and provide technical assistance.

Biomass and the Future

More research is being conducted to improving
technologies for making electricity and fuels
from biomass.
Some oil companies and petrochemical
industries have begun to explore biomass
energy.
The biggest challenge is the cost of bioenergy:
As long as fossil fuels remain cheaper than
bioenergy, people will be hesitant to invest in
this technology.

Biomass and the Future

The ability to cost effectively collect, store, and
transport biomass presents many challenges.
Infrastructure will have to be built to ensure a
safe and efficient supply system for biomass.
Currently, the Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory is conducting R&D in
how to develop infrastructure for biomass
energy.