Bamboo Biomass: An overlooked energy resourceJayaraman DuraiProject Manager

INBAR

Recent News….. From Jamaica http://jis.gov.jm/9600-pounds-organically-certified-bamboo-charcoal-shipped-tomorrow/

• Jamaica’s first major supply of internationally certified organic bamboo charcoal, totalling 9,600 pounds, is scheduled to be shipped to the United States (US) on Tuesday, April 14

Source:Jamaica information service

Contents• Introduction• Bamboo and its suitability• Charcoal production technologies and enterprises• Briquetting and pelleting models• Bamboo and Electricity• Bamboo based gasification and Ethanol production system – Life Cycle

Analysis• Economics of biomass power Vs Conventional power• Recommendations

Introduction• Energy and Environmental protection are the two today’s critical needs. •Major thrust towards renewable energy: Biomass is a promising option.• Focus shifted from first to second generation biofuels (lignocellulosic

materials – agricultural and forest waste, fast growing tree and grasses ).• Possibility of conversion into energy (electrical and thermal, liquid and

gaseous forms)• Perception: Biomass is carbon neutral. • Different options for energy usage and conversion – which one to

choose?

Bamboo: Its suitability as energy crop

• Bamboo is fastest growing plant on earth.• Perennial “Woody Grass”, rapid growth : annual selective harvesting possible

(no clear felling) for 50 years. • Environmental protection: Soil erosion, water recharge, reclaiming degraded

lands, etc.• Additional benefits: Bamboo shoots (food security), fodder, multiple uses, etc• Yield: 5 to 47 metric tons per hectare (Priority species: > 10 MT per annum).

Energy or Calorific values comparison (Bamboo Vs Wood)

• Calorific value of dry bamboo: ~ 19 MJ/kg or 4500 Kcal/Kg (Scurlock, 2000)

• Low ash and alkali content; C and H similar to wood.• Calorific value of bamboo charcoal: 26 - 29 MJ/Kg or ~ 6600 Kcal/Kg• Bulk density is low. Densification or briquetting is necessary

Biomass HHVMJ / Kg Kcal / Kg

Bamboo 19.8 4729Eucalyptus 19.6 4681Hybrid popular 19.7 4705Willow 19.7 4705

Botanically, bamboo is a grass…and not a tree...

Modeling biomass / carbon dynamics of bamboo forest

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 450

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Modeled Above ground culm biomass of bamboo natural stands

Year

Abo

ve g

roun

d cu

lm b

iom

ass

of m

uli b

ambo

o (t

/ h

a)

• Rapid growth and regrowth.• Reach stable carbon in a period of 6 -10 years

(beyond that, bamboo forests are carbon neutral (Liese, 2009)

• Above ground and high underground biomass ratio: 66: 34 percent

• Leaf litter: 6 – 8 percent of total biomass ( 1 to 37 MT per annum) (Kleinhenz and Midmore, 2001).

• Soil carbon: 15 – 17 percent of leaf litter and underground biomass.

• Gregarious bamboo flowering at end of life cycle.

• Active management necessary for improving carbon sequestration.

Modeling carbon sequestration of Moso bamboo (INBAR, 2010)• Fast growing, annual yielding crop

• When managed, bamboo can outperform fast-growing species in terms of carbon sequestration

Bamboo and Energy: Fuel wood and Charcoal Production Technologies

Drum Charcoal

• Portable• Low

investment• Charcoal

Yield: 22 – 25 percent

Dome Charcoal

Large Kilns for high quality charcoal production

Combined gasifier and charcoal production units

Briquetting Enterprises

Manual Briquetting Enterprises

Honeycomb briquettes (Ethiopia)

Semi-mechanized pelleting enterprises (Alaknanda,

Uttarakhand, India)

Mechanized briquetting units (Mbeya, Tanzania & Uttarakhand,

India)

Mechanized Honey-Comb Briquetting (Coal dust, Vietnam

Bamboo and Electricity

• 1.2 Kg biomass produces 1 unit of electricity. • Bamboo biomass is a suitable feed stock for electricity generation.• Wastes arising out of industrial processes could be used for electricity

generation.• 100 per cent producer gas engine• Combined diesel and producer engine• Combined charcoal and electricity generation units

Gasifier system for electricity generation (Uttarakhand, India)

20 kW Pyrolytic Biomass Gasifier(Rajasthan, India

OwnershipCurrent: 100% CIBART NGOFuture (indicative): 30% CIBART30% Women30% Professionals10% Technical support

Cash benefit (US$)biomass : power

1 day: 12 : 801 month: 360 : 24001 year: 4380 : 29200

Charcoal produced: 5%: $ 4,38025%: $ 21,900Unit cost: $ 21,942

Broad usage of power(indicative)

0500-0900: HH power0900-1700: Enterprises1700-2100: HH power2100-0500: Water pumping

Other benefits• Value added production

from enterprises e.g. HHC, flour-mill, etc.

• Quality of life – power to 160-320 HH (8h basis)

• Water supply – farms, homes

Comparative Analysis of Bamboo-based Gasification and Ethanol Production Systems: Using Life Cycle Analysis

Approach (Durai, 2012)

http://www.keepbanderabeautiful.org/biomass.html

Energy and GHG balance of Bamboo gasification systemFunctional Unit: 1 MJ

Bam-boo

Grow-ing / C Saved

Biomass pro-

duction

Plant con-

struc-tion

Chip-ping

Trans-porta-tion

Energy conver-

sion

Main-tenance

Total saving

Se-ries1

-0.240 0.000 0.001 0.016 0.001 0.000 0.001 -0.220

-0.275

-0.225

-0.175

-0.125

-0.075

-0.025

0.025

-0.240

0.000 0.001 0.016 0.001 0.000 0.001

-0.220

GHG Balance: Gasification system - 1 MJ

Kg C

o2 E

q pe

r MJ

Net Energy Ratio: Energy Produced / FF Energy usedElectricity only: 1 : 4.4Electricity + Charcoal = 1 : 7.8

Life cycle Efficiency = ((Energy produced – energy used) / Biomass energy)LCE = 17 percent

Carbon closure: carbon emitted / carbon saved = 0.24 / 0.2 = 92 percent

Energy and GHG balance of Ethanol Production (Functional Unit: 1 MJ)

Energy Pro-

duced

Con-struc-tion

Trans-porta-tion

Pre-pro-

cessing

Steam Produc-

tion

Electric-ity

Sewage Others Net En-ergy

Se-ries1

1 -0.017 -0.03 -0.13 -0.84 -0.11 -0.011 -0.005 -0.143

-0.9

-0.7

-0.5

-0.3

-0.1

0.1

0.3

0.5

0.7

0.9

1

-0.017 -0.03-0.13

-0.84

-0.11-0.011 -0.005

-0.143

Energy Balance per MJ: Ethanol Produc-tion

Ener

gy In

put a

nd O

utpu

t per

MJ

GHG Saved

Con-struc-tion

Trans-porta-tion

Pre-process-

ing

Steam Produc-

tion

Electric-ity

Sewage Others Total re-lease

Se-ries1

-0.099 0.001 0.001 0.033 0.046 0.027 0.001 0.001 0.011

-0.125

-0.075

-0.025

0.025

0.075

-0.099

0.001 0.001

0.0330.046

0.027

0.001 0.0010.011

GHG Balance: Ethanol Production

KG C

o2 E

q pe

r MJ

Net Energy Ratio: Energy Produced / FF Energy usedElectricity : 1: 0.86

Life cycle Efficiency = ((Energy produced – energy used) / Biomass energy)LCE = - 9 percent

Carbon closure: carbon emitted / carbon saved = - 11 percent

Economics

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

Cost (USD)Subsidy (USD)

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

Production cost of Electricity (USD)

Elec. Cost (USD)

Grow Your 24x7 Power!• 1.2 kg of bamboo biomass produces 1 unit of power (1 kWh)• A bamboo pole of 24 kg would power a rural household for a month;

12 poles for a year! 1-2 clumps• Empower rural HH to enhance their quality of life, operate water

pump sets, flour mills, etc. • Globally, 1.3 billion people live in energy poverty, huge market

The initial level of electricity consumption for rural households is assumed as 250 kWh per year (UN SE4ALL) (approx. 0.7kWh/day)

Energy as a product

Biomass energy versus Solar energy

Biomass• Generates income

• Enhances resilience

• Benefits the land

• Powers HH

• Powers enterprises

• Local employment generation

• Enhanced food & water security

• No batteries. Optional since 24x7 power

Solar• Enhances expenditure

• Enhances indebtedness

• No benefit to the land

• Lights HH

• None that need power

• No employment generation

• No

• Recurrent expenditure on batteries

Action points• Demonstrate and promote bamboo based charcoal and briquetting

enterprise to replace wood charcoal.• Devise Certification systems and incentives.• Create policies to favor biomass based power generation (Vs LPG, solar,etc)• Bamboo plants can be grown by each willing HH in the homestead and farm

boundary. • 35 bamboo clumps could generate adequate bamboos for fuelwood and

livelihood use. Will plant if can make money.• 5 million HH (36 Million people)= 175 million plants, imagine the greening,

CO2 sequestration, ecosystem services! (IEA, 2014)• Would also provide feed and fodder – bamboo leaves are eaten by most

animals, and chicken; good for fish feed too

Thank You