dr. willie smits at basf science symposium 2015

Green Carbon in a sustainable way for developing countries

Dr. Willie Smits, Masarang Foundation Smart energy for a sustainable future Session on “Future Energy Supply” BASF, Ludwigshafen, March 10th-2015

Vinod Khosla

"What is needed is something that replaces base-load coal technology. Unless technology does that, it's not competitive.”

"Today's unimaginable is tomorrow's conventional wisdom."

Today’s Presentation

• Assessing the true potential of biomass based energy with special focus on sugar palms

• Looking at sustainability issues in triple P terms for reforestation in developing nations

• Practical example of a large scale commercial operation based upon these approaches

Biomass Based Energy

• The 1% photosynthesis efficiency theory • The photosynthesis process is influenced by:

– Light intensity – CO2 concentration – Temperature

• Other factors determining plant productivity: – Method of photosynthesis (eg. C3 vs C4) – Water and nutrient availability – Pests and diseases

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Plant Infrastructure Investment Harvestable Plant Production

Productivity of Corn in Temperate Zones

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Plant Infrastructure Investment Harvestable Plant Production

Productivity of Corn in Tropical Zones

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Plant Infrastructure Investment Harvestable Plant Production

Productivity of a Sugar Palm Forest

Inefficient Monocultures

Kumelembuai, North Sulawesi, Indonesia Mixed sugar palm forest on steep slopes.

Bamboo

Food/ Energy/

Medicines Fodder Bamboo

Sugar Palms

Fruit Trees

Furniture Wood

Fuel Wood

Construction Timber

Spices

Temperate vs Tropics Temperate Zones Tropics

Photosynthesis Seasonal growth Year round growth Low sunlight intensity High sunlight intensity C4 less efficient C4 optimal

Agriculture vs Forest Corn or Sugar Cane Sugar Palm

Photosynthesis Wasting light/energy Optimal light utilization Nutrients Depleting resources Natural recycling Pesticides Long lasting, dangerous No pesticide need at all

The Green Belt of the World

Zone of Maximum Productivity (Most Solar Radiation/Rainfall)

and zone with most available land and most people in need

Sugar Palm Biomass Based Energy

• The 1% photosynthesis efficiency theory • The photosynthesis process is influenced by:

– Light intensity – CO2 concentration – Temperature

Other factors determining plant productivity: Method of photosynthesis (eg. C3 vs C4) Water and nutrient availability Pests and diseases LAI (Leaf Area Index) Harvest Index Energy conversion efficiency

How is the 1% efficiency calculated?

Wh=S* εi* εc*η

in which Wh = Harvested Yield

S = Total solar energy

εi = Interception efficiency

εc = Conversion efficiency

η = Partitioning efficiency (Harvest Index)

The case of the Sugar Palm

εi = Interception efficiency

interception efficiency depends upon the speed of canopy closure, plant canopy size and plant architecture.

• Once a forest canopy is present, a fully developed photosynthetic apparatus is always present (no more growing investment phase like with agricultural crops)

• With a high LAI (>6.5 for sugar palm vs. 3.0 for most trees and crops) and more efficient light capture, combined with special leaf arrangement εi is very high

Sugar palm forest

Many years of field experiments

The case of the Sugar Palm

εi = Interception efficiency

interception efficiency depends upon the speed of canopy closure, plant canopy size and architecture.

εc = Conversion efficiency

Conversion efficiency depends upon the method of photosynthesis (C3/C4) and respiration rates

• Sugar palms have C4 photosynthesis • Respiration is extremely low due to absence of

maintenance growth after start of production

Combining the positive aspects of trees and energy crops like corn

Once fully grown & flowering all energy goes to to the fruit

For new harvestable fruit new leaves need to form

Hapaxanthic male inflorescences

The case of the Sugar Palm

εi = Interception efficiency interception efficiency depends upon the speed of canopy closure, plant canopy size and architecture.

εc = Conversion efficiency

Conversion efficiency depends upon the method of photosynthesis (C3/C4) and respiration rates

The harvest index indicates how much of the plant material can be converted to utilizable energy

η = Partitioning efficiency (Harvest Index)

For the best corn this is about 55% of the above ground biomass, so η being 0.55, with little room for improvement.

η = Partitioning efficiency (Harvest Index)

• A sugar palm can produce many times the harvestable biomass compared to its own dry weight infrastructure

5 Inflorescences

16 Liter/day

12% Sugar Content

200 Tapping Days

1920 Total Sugar (kg)

160 Leaf biomass

280 Stem biomass

105 Root biomass

135 Fruit biomass

680 Total Mass (kg)

Note: For an individual tree the tapping takes place over almost three years and with a life span of 10 years η is only slightly higher but as forest much more!

In addition

• From sugar palms we do not harvest organs and the output is sucrose, a very efficient energy carrier

• Sugar palms have very deep roots and need little water and can maintain photosynthesis where other trees experience a midday photosynthetic depression period

No removal of organs! Just tapping Water & Sugar

Sugar Palms add nutrients

to soil

All other biofuel crops remove nutrients

so always need fertilizer

Root system of a 3 year old sugar palm

Root system of a 1 year old sugar palm

Roots more than 6 meter deep!

Root length 9 m

The Basic Principle: Convert solar radiation energy into storable chemical energy

CO2

CO2

CO2

CO2

CO2

A Sweet Sustainable Solution : The Sugar Palm

Production:

Energy equivalent of 82 Barrels Oil per hectare/year !

Masarang

O2

O2

And by pumping up nutrients to the surface improving overall vegetation growth and overall carbon storage

Differences in Energy yielded per hectare per year for various crops (tonnes biodiesel equivalent)

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4,0

6,0

8,0

10,0

12,0

14,0

Linen Rape Seed Soya Maize Sugar Beet Sugar Cane Cocos Oil Palm Jatropha Sugar Palm

Calculation for Sugar palm productivity:

Description Amount Unit Number of adult producing trees per hectare at any moment

70 Trees/ha

Daily production of sugary juice 13 Liters/day/tree

Sugar concentration in juice 11 Percent Sugar production per hectare per year

36,5 Ton/ha/yr

Ethanol production per hectare per year (0.52 conversion from sugar)

19 Ton/ha/yr

(Calculation based upon data compiled from various studies by dr.ir. Willie Smits)

Note: 19 ton of ethanol = 24.000 liters

27

Teguh Wikan Widodo, Elita R., and A. Asari Indonesian Center for Agricultural Engineering Research and Development (ICAERD)

Situgadung, Legok, Tromol Pos 2 Serpong, Tangerang, Banten 15310 Indonesia

Note: WUR, Technical University Berlin and Indonesian Sciences Institute all found much higher values…

Six independent assessments done November 2011

Oil Palm vs. Sugar Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

• Leading to carbon emissions • Leading to deforestation • 5 tons of biodiesel/ha/yr • Monoculture • Needs fertilizers/pesticides • Soil depletion • Watershed pollution • Rivers disrupted • Coral reefs affected • Few and poor jobs (0.11/ha/yr) • Mechanization under way • Causes many local conflicts

(Arenga pinnata)

• Carbon sequestration • Protecting forests • 19 tons of ethanol/ha/yr • Mixed forest/Biodiversity • No fertilizers/pesticides • Soil improvement • Improved water supplies • Rivers flow regular • No downstream problems • Many (2.14) all year round jobs • Non mechanizable • Brings communities together

Sustainability

Land Energy/ha Water Pesticide Species Food Labor Climate Planting Processing

Looking at the whole green carbon picture

High High Low No Diverse Security Permanent Carbon Once All Year Availability Demand Positive

Low Low High Yes Mono Conflict Seasonal Carbon Many X Seasonal Availability Demand Negative

Sugar Palm Palm Oil Sugar Cane Corn

Even after one year under water still producing!

3 months after fire

Surviving Fires

6 months after fire

Volcano resistant !!!

Sole Survivor…

By the way… 17th July, 2011

and October 12th, 2012

Built-in biological control through

symbiosis with ants

Physical and Biological Protection

Sugar palms need a mixed forest

All sugar palms from same mother tree and same age Only those closer to trees growing healthy and better

Palm that soon will produce

Producing Palm

Tapping is manual and labor intensive Palms have to be tapped twice a day.

Each day 1 mm is sliced off

After 40 minutes the 10-17% sugary juice reaches maximum dripping speed

After 12 hours the speed gets less

Other Sugar Palm Products: • Fruits • Fibers • Medicines • Sago (starch) • Palm Heart • Honey • Fuel wood • Timber • Scent material • Orchid media • Packing material • Etc., etc.

8 year old mixed Sugar Palm Forests protecting the steep Masarang slopes

The practical application

• The company manages almost half a million acres of severely degraded forest in East Kalimantan.

• After the closure of the wood industry many people became jobless, causing a lot of land pressure.

• In this area the company is establishing a giant zero waste system to produce fossil fuel replacements and various other sustainable products.

• All of this while creating sustainable jobs, food security, clean water provision and biodiversity protection

What about combining restoring forests, plus additional permanent carbon storage in soil and improved growth of the forest, with ethanol as well as fossil fuel coal replacements and production of drop in jet fuel from waste within 2 years from start…?

Dead Wood, Tree Stumps

& Roots

Biochar

Flow of Carbon, Energy & Nutrients

Mobile Adam Retort

Felling, cutting, debarking, chipping

Leaves/twigs/bark are spread to keep nutrients in forest

Heat

Chips Wood

Own Use in ITCI

Income Generation

Torrefaction Product Flows

Power for Forest Camp

Gasifier

Electricity

Heat for Drying,

Evaporation, Distillation

Villages Balikpapan

Export Pellets

Torrefaction Pellets

Own Need Electricity

LNG Fuel

Syngas for Jet-fuel

Nutrient Recovery

Classical Forestry

Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation

Short Rotations 5-8 year (Timber Estates)

Long Rotations 35 year (Natural Forest Management)

Long Rotation

Mixed Recipes Long Rotation

Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation Short Rotation

1 2 3

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 5 Year 4 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Cassava

Jobs in land preparation, planting, maintenance Tapping of palms Torrefaction

Materials

Palm Fruits

Animal Feed

Year 9 Year 10

Torrefaction Materials

Torrefaction Materials

Year 11 Year 12 Year 13 Year 15 Year 14 Year 16 Year 17 Year 18

Aren Wood

Maintenance

Torrefaction Materials

Rattan

Year 19 Year 20

Torrefaction Materials

Agathis Wood

Palm Fibres

Maintenance

Year 21 Year 22 Year 23 Year 25 Year 24

Sengong/ Jabon/dll

Aren Agathis

Resin Rattan & Resin

Capturing nutrients through cassava

Cassava Planting was started on 12 March 2013

21 Mei, 2013

70 days

23 Juni, 2013

> 2 meters high!

103 days

Food Tree Sugar Palm 23 June, 2013

103 days

Mr. Subrata

23 Juni, 2013

After only 100/300 days already energy and food security with 20 ton/ha and a new forest starting

After 223 days 100 ton/ha

How to start up the permanent

production cycle

Starch

Food/Fuel

Sugar/Wood

Wood/Biochar

Degraded Forests

Biochar

Torrefaction pellets

Other Products Year 1

Year 3-6

Year 7-10

Year 25

Diverse other non-timber income sources

• Bird nests • Forest Honey • Ornamentals • Nutrients • Rocks • Fish/Meat • Plant media • Starch

• Biochar • Carbon Credits • Damar/Resin • Medicines • Eco-Tourism • Electricity • Drinking Water • Etc.

Nutrients • Are key to high

productivity and sustainability

• For plants, animals and human health

• Are a big cost factor and scarce product

• Can become a valuable income

• ITCI can obtain them from various sources

Fertilizer Production

Mud

Ash

Rock

Guano

Peat

Shoots

Litter

From Forest

Mud

Azolla

Fish Waste

Night Soil

Sea Weed

Torr Nutr.

Sea Wood

From former wood Industry

Mg

Hair

Compost

Night Soil

Animal Manure

Jelly Fish

NPK

From Cities

Local needs

Vario

us R

ecip

es

Outside sales

Plus BioChar!

without fertilizer

with compost

with biochar & fertilizer

Left Cassava with compost Right with biochar and compost Without both virtually no growth! Above chillies

Significant improvements

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120,0

20. Feb 02. Mrz 12. Mrz 22. Mrz 01. Apr 11. Apr 21. Apr

Tomatoes with and without biochar

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200,0

400,0

600,0

800,0

1.000,0

16. Apr 21. Apr 26. Apr 01. Mai

Harvest with biochar Harvest with compost only

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50,0

60,0

70,0

20. Feb 02. Mrz 12. Mrz 22. Mrz 01. Apr 11. Apr 21. Apr

Corn with and without biochar

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100,0 120,0 140,0 160,0 180,0 200,0

0 1 2 3 4

Harvest with biochar Harvest without biochar

+400%

+700%

Added Benefits

From smoke condensate:

– Wood vinegar (for compost, germination, as biodegradable herbicide)

– Wood tar (for preserving less durable wood and poles in ground)

CO2 Dynamics as influenced by the new ITCI Multi-System Silviculture

Forest

H2O

Biodiversity

• More biodiversity > C-store in forest

> fish and meat • Better forest

> rainfall > forest growth > C-store in forest

• More Biochar > 40 tons C stored/ha > tree growth/biomass > C-store in forest

> nutrient retention • Torrefaction pellets

> Fossil Fuel Reduction • Sugar Palm & Cassava > biofuels C savings > efficient protein

Biochar

40 tons CO2 stored per hectare & >biomass

Torrefaction Pellets

Fossil Fuel Need

Reductions

Products storing C in

wood

Wood

Food Water

So: “Money does grow on trees”

Forest Factory, Money Machine

From selling air, rain and sunlight!

Chances for Everyone

"There is still time and there are still opportunities to clear up the mess man has created."