biomass comes of age introducing biohubs: the high level sector drivers; the role for...
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Biomass Comes of Age
Introducing BioHubs: The high level sector drivers; The role for “surplus” biomass; and The crucial benefits for MSW managers
Regional BioHub ForumThursday, 13th February 2014
University of New England, Armidale
The Drivers – The Need & the Opportunity
In the face of the related global agendas of:– Climate change;– Resource depletion, and the need to establish– Sustainable economic systems;
a definitive conclusion is the need to limit the use of fossil fuel resources and so to reduce Greenhouse Gas accumulation in the atmosphere.
– The only logical source of supply for carbon based molecules in a resource depleted and carbon constrained future.
– The original source of the “solar powered” conversion of atmospheric carbon(CO2) into vegetative biomass – the original source of fossil fuels – that we are being discouraged to use.
– “Waste” biomass – no longer the “ugly ducking”.
Biomass Comes of Age
Essential Biobased ProductsModern complex economies cannot operate without the carbon based molecules currently supplied by fossil resources, for the full range of uses and “drop in” alternatives, including:
– The complete range of chemicals and products from the integrated petrochemical sector;
– Coke/coal/reductant materials that are essential for the metals manufacturing/smelting sector;
– The agricultural fertilizer/soil productivity sector; and
– Specialised and liquid transport fuels sector, with special focus on aviation fuels.
NB: More than just compost or firewood. Bioenergy as an important by-product.
Biomass currently presents as 5 generic sources (defined by commercial circumstances at point of presentation):
1. Forestry and Agricultural harvest residues – Characteristics: seasonal or campaign availability but homogeneous by-product of core activity.
2. Forestry and Agricultural processing residues – Characteristics: regularly available, homogenous and geographically concentrated but a supply pushed by-product.
3. Urban waste streams – Characteristics: end of (first) life arisings to be recovered as reliable, but heterogeneous flows via streaming/cascading systems.
4. Land Management & Development Arisings – Characteristics: one off or irregular arisings of potentially high value homogeneous biomass.
5. Specially grown or generated biomass – Characteristics: highest quality, reliably available but most expensive as primary production costs to be recovered in sale of materials. Needs cost effective outlet for by-products.
Biomass Sources
Value adding wastes & residues to make the primary activity more profitable
Will benefit from shared systems & infrastructure over time
Highest Net Resource Application of Available Biomass
Low carbon energy sources
Features/PropertiesA B C D E F G H I
Renewable On demand supply Heat Power Gas Oil Char
PetroChem industry
manufacturing precursors
Potential to be
Carbon negative
Fossil fuels with sequestration
Hydro Wind Solar – thermal Solar – PV Geothermal Wave/Tidal Nuclear Biomass
Table 1: Comparison of benefits and properties of non fossil sources
Whilst <100yrs biomass can be converted to fulfil all the roles currently provided by fossil resources – there is nowhere near enough – so should be applied to highest and best uses – bioenergy as a by-product.
Biomass comes in 5 Distinct Types
Input materials that need to be paid for
Input materials that pay a
disposal fee to the facility operator
-$200 0 $200+
1. Agricultural & forest residues 0-----------150 X X2. Downstream processing of agricultural & forest materials (30)-----------100 X X X3. Urban wastes a) MSW organics (100)----------0 X X b) Green/garden wastes (50)----0 X X X c) C&D/C&I wood wastes (60)-----0 X X4. Land management residues a) Development/infrastructure maintenance operations (20)-----50 X X b) Woody weed/land management sources (20)-----50 X X5. Special purpose plantings a) Agroforestry 0------80 X X b) Dedicated plantations 50-------150 X X X c) Algae and similar 50-------150 X X X
Essential prerequisite for all sources if the benefits over using fossil resources are to be fully achieved and monetized.
3 Reliability/predictability of supply or availability
4 Relative quality of material2 $ Value/gate fees likely to be realised at the gate of the initial processing centre (or BioHub)
Biomass Source
1 Sustainability of biomass
yield
365 days/yr
Regular but seasonal
Sporadic, campaign based,
unreliable Homogeneous Heterogeneous
NB: Integration and collaboration across all the biomass sources necessary to achieve cost effectiveness of final products.
A “scrap yard” for waste or surplus biomass
A receiver of last resort
A “rail head silo” for specifically grown biomass
A first point of receival
The first point of assessment, value adding and/or pretreatment for whatever materials is presented.
What is a BioHub?
The Main Features of a BioHub Making finished/tailored products from the full range of
available materials to ensure customer satisfaction:• Fertilizers• Metallurgical charcoals• Bioenergy• Supply to high capital processors up the supply chain
Servicing local communities – as part of an integrated network
• Some too much supply – not enough local markets
• Some too much product demand – no biomass supply
• Very few “Goldilocks” opportunities – hence network and collaboration
Whole of Life Cycle Materials Management
Whole of Life Cycle Materials Management (contd. )
Key:1 The productive economy1a Primary industry 1b Manufacturing 1c Consumer 2 Point of discard for metropolitan solid waste (MSW) 2a Point of discard for commercial and industrial (C&I) waste3 First point of receival for residual MSW 4 First point of receival for dry recyclables5 First point of receival for organics6 Return of materials into the productive economy — metals7 Return of materials into the productive economy — inerts8 Return of materials to the productive economy — mixed organics and biomass9 Return of materials to the productive economy — high calorific and hydrocarbon-based materials10 Return of materials to the productive economy — source-separated organics11 Point of discard — occasional, bulky, valuable or hazardous materials11a Point of discard — valuable or toxic C&I12 Special value recovery facilities13 Treatment and detoxification facilities14 Return of materials to the productive economy — treated toxics and household hazardous 15 Return of materials to the productive economy — special value recovery
Lessons learned for biomass fraction:– Paper/cardboard– Glass– Metals
Two stage process:– Waste sector – Fee-for-Service – collect and pretreat– Product manufacturing
• Consumer facing• Based originally on virgin supplies• Lives and dies on product quality
Success requires recovering resources from urban waste streams such that they can beneficially supplement/replace virgin resources in established product manufacturing.
Making “Real” Products from Waste(Creating the market pull for recovered resources back into the
productive economy)
What an Integrated “Streaming/Cascading” System Could Look Like for New England
Hard Waste
Residual MSW(Red)
6 DROP OFF
HHW
8 Compost TorrefactionPyrolysisThird party supplyGreen power
Return to manufacturer
9 Modular EfW
Organics
Residue
Discard Options
First Point of Receival
Specialist Reprocessing
11 MarketsEnd Uses
Garden
Yellow
5 VATS/AWT
Sell to highest bidder
Treatment (on behalf of originator?)
10 Landfill– Non putrescible– >90% diversion
Confirmed markets / end users
4 MRF
Recy
clab
les
Residues
Inerts
MetalsHCF/synthetics 7 Polymer recovery
PetrochemRDF/PEF
As directed
Scrap
CompostConfirmed char/ charcoal specialty marketsGreen Power
Black Power
Residue
Ash
Residuals
2 C&I (and C&D) pre-sorted
Civil applications
Brand
Market
3 Regional Organics
• Agricultural & forest harvestresidues
• Agricultural & forest processingresidues
• Land management residues
• Special purpose plantings
1
Residues
Reje
cts
Recyclables to market directly or via MRF
Wood/organics
Paper/cardboardColour sorted glassMetalsPolymer sorted plastics
Established markets& end users
and / or
A
B
E
C
D
F
G
H
Projected Benefits for Councils
– > 90% diversion
– Cap on waste management charges immediately:
Then CPI certainty
Then downward pressure on costs and charges
– No need to take process and market risk
– Opportunity to “invest” in profitable resource recovery operations
– Encourage and facilitate growth and employment
Ultimately financed from the recovered value from the materials under management
Only Collaboration Can Achieve these Results
– No single industry sector can achieve optimum results on their own
– No council can achieve optimum results on their own
– It requires:
Regional collaboration
Multi council based strategies
Multi product flexibility
Technology as servants not masters
Governments (x3) to support initial scoping, planning and feasibility studies
Greatly Simplified MSW/AWT
Green/Garden Waste Management for Best Quality and Value
Demographic Survey Data
Waste Audit Data
Home Multi Occupation Council owned
parks & gardens
Conscientious, motivated,
active
Conscientious, motivated,
inactive
Can’t be bothered
Conscientious and motivated
Can’t be bothered
Conscientious and motivated
30% 40%? 30%? 50%? 50%? 100%? Mixed putrescible (…)%? Vege food preparation (…)%? Small garden (…)%? Large garden (…)%? Wood/stumps (…)%?
*Potential values to be then compared with the status quo and the cost/benefit of the alternative schemes
Likely Quality/Quantity Assessment*