Overview of Biorefinery Concepts and Basics for Their Greenhouse Gas

Balance

G. Jungmeier, F. Cherubini

IEA Bioenergy Task 38: Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems

International Workshop in Cooperation with the Salzburg State Government“Transportation Biofuels: For greenhouse gas mitigation, energy security or

other reasons ?”

5 February 2008, Salzburg, Austria

Outline

Introduction

Overview BiorefineryConcepts

Greenhouse Gas Evaluation

Outlook

Example WoodBioethanol Biorefinery

Source: IPCC 2007

Human Influence on Atmosphere

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Austrian Transportsector

- 24 Mio. t GHG/a from transportation sector

- 26% Share of total Austrian GHG-emissions

- 83% Increase between 1990/2006

- Most rapid increasing sector

European Roadmap for Biofuels

Source: Biofuels in the European Union – A vision for 2030 and beyond, Final report of the Biofuels Research Advisory Council, June 2006

Vision 2030: 25% Biofuels

What is a “Biorefinery”?IEA Bioenergy Task 42 on Biorefineries

Source: Lenzing, 2007

Chemikalienabscheidung als Kuppelprodukt in Zell- und Faserstoffindustrie

Existing “Lignozellulosic Biorefiniery”

Zellstoff

Essigsäure

DicklaugeÜberschuß(Energie)

Buchenholz

11%

50%

ZellstoffFabrik

39% Furfural

Xylose

pulp

Acedic acid

Blackliquour energy

Buchenholz

11%

50%

pulpfactory

39% Furfural

Xylose

Wood

WOOD: First Process it - then Burn it

The final poducts are

technology-intensive!capital-intensive !labour-intensive!export-intensive!

Lignin: calorific value 25 – 26 MJ/kg (aromates)

Cellulose, hemicelluloses: calorific value 16 – 18 MJ/kg (hydrocarbons)

Austrian Concept„Green Biorefinery Austria“

FibreProcessing

Fiberboards, Biocomposites, Insulation Materials,...

Green Biomass(e.g. Grass, Clover, Lucern,...)

Ensilage Process Mechanical Fractionation

Press Cake(Fibres)

Press Juice

Fine ChemicalsSeparation

Flavours, Chlorophyll, Pigments,...

Lactic AcidSeparation

Amino AcidsSeparation

Biogas

Amino Acids,Protein Products

Lactic Acid,Ethyl-Lactate,...

Electricity, Heat

Demonstration-Plant„Green Biorefinery“

Location: Uztenaich in Upper-Austria

Attached to existing biogas plant 500 kWe

Capacity: processing silage from 100 ha with 10 tDM/(ha*a)

Investment: 1.7 Mio. €

Operating costs for 3 years: 1.5 Mio. €

Start up: 2008

What is a „Biorefinery“?

Biorefinery

BiomassResources- oil- starch- sugar- lignocellulose- ….

Energy

liquid/gaseous transportation fuelselectricityheatsolid fuels

Chemicals

bulk chemicalsfine chemicalsanimal feedmaterialsfertilizer……

Based on different conversionprocesses- Bio-chemical- Thermo-chemical- Physical-chemical- Others

Transportation biofuel

orientation

Sugarcrops

Starchcrops

Residues(organic

waste, manure)

PlatformsFermentation

FT-fuelsBiodiesel Bioethanol

Synthetic natural gas(SNG)

Hydrogen

Oilcrops

Lingo-cellulosiccropswood

Chemicals

Oil

Sugar

SNG

Starch

Syngas

Fermentation

Gasification

Esterification

Animal feed

Pressing

CO2 separation

Pyrolysis

Destillation

Steam reforming

Hydrogenation

Separation

Hydrogen

Hydrolysis

Sugarification

HydrogenationMethanisation

Synthesis

“Multi-Platform” Transportation Biofuel Oriented Integrated Biorefinery Concepts

Biorefinery-Systemswith Main R&D Focus

1. “Lignocellulosic biorefinery”, based on wood and straw

2. “Whole crop biorefinery”, based on raw materials like grains and maize (whole crop)

3. “Green biorefinery”, based on Grass

4. “Two-platform-biorefinery”, with sugar and syngas platforms

IEA Bioenergy Task 42 on Biorefineries

Life CycleAnalyses

oe fpos 02020

Biomass

Renewablebiotic

carbonstock

Bioenergy system Fossil energy system

Decreasingfossil

carbonstocks

Conversionin vehicles

By-products

Transportation Servicesfor persons and good

By-products

Carbonoxidation

Carbonfixation

Fossil fuel

StorageTransport

Slow increasing atmospheric carbon Strong increasing atmospheric carbon

Processing

Production ProcessingCultivation

Transport

Harvest

Auxiliary fossilenergy emissions

Auxiliary fossilenergy emissions

Energy flowCarbon flow*

Conversionin vehicles

Biofuel Fossil fuel

Auxiliaryfossil energy

According to

ISO 14 040 „Life Cycle assessment“

Standard Methodology of IEA Bioenergy Task 38 „Greenhouse Gas Balances of Bioenergy systems“

Recommendations of COST Action E9 „Life Cycle Assess-ment of Forestry and Forest Products“

Criteria for Environmental EvaluationGreenhouse gas emissions [t CO2-eq.] including

Carbon dioxide (1 kg CO2 = 1 kg CO2-eq)

Methane (1 kg CH4 = 23 kg CO2-eq )

Nitrous oxide (1 kg N2O = 296 kg CO2-eq)

Cumulated primary energy demand [PJprimary energy ] shared inBiomass (e.g. wood, straw)

Fossil energy (e.g. oil, coal, natural gas)

Others (e.g. hydro power, waste, nuclear)

Indicators for environmental evaluation

Specific GHG reduction [t CO2-eq/tbiomass] or [t CO2-eq/ha]

Specific fossil energy reduction [TJfossil energy/twood]

Process System:Wood Bioethanol Biorefinery

Combustion

Pretreatment

Hydrolysis

Fermentation

Bioethanol

Wood chips

Lignin

Pyrolysis

Drying

SeparationResidues

Electricity Heat Phenols

Char

Biooil

Transportation service, electricity, heat and chemicals

LCA of Wood Bioethanol Biorefinery

Distribution

BioethanolVehicle

Heat grid Electricity grid

Bioethanol 100 kt/a Heat Electricity

Distribution

Phenols

1,000 Mio. km/a

175 GWh/a110 GWh/a 5.6 kt/a

Wood forest residues

Transportation

Bioethanol-Biorefinery

Wood chips 530 kt/a

System Description forExample Environmental Evaluation

Systems

Heat Electricity Transportation service *) Phenols

110 GWh/a 175 GWh/a 1,000 Mio. km/a 5,600 t/aWood bioethanol biorefienery

Wood polygeneration, con. phenols oilWood CHP **), gasoline, con. phenols gasoline oil

Wood heating, natural gas, gasoline, con. phenols wood natural gas gasoline oilFossil reference system oil natural gas gasoline oil

*) Bioethanol: 100.000 t/a**) Combined heat and power

woodwood

wood

Supplied energy services

Wood forest residues

Transportation

Distribution

BioethanolVehicle

Bioethanol-Polygeneration

Heat grid

Electricitygrid

Transportation service, electricity, heat and chemicals

Comparison Wood to Bioethanol Biorefinery and Polygeneration

Wood forest residues

Transportation

Distribution

BioethanolVehicle

Bioethanol-Biorefinery

Heat grid

Electricitygrid

Distribution

Wood Bioethanol Biorefinery

Distribution

Phenols

Extractionraw oil

Transportation

Refinery

Referenceuse

Naturaloxidation

Wood Bioethanol Polygeneration

Transportation service, electricity, heat and chemicals

Comparison Wood to Bioethanol Biorefinery and Polygeneration

Wood forest residues

Transportation

Distribution

BioethanolVehicle

Bioethanol-Biorefinery

Heat grid

Electricitygrid

Distribution

Wood Bioethanol BiorefineryReference

use

Naturaloxidation

Fossil Reference System

Distribution

GasolineVehicle

Heating plant

Distribution

Phenols

Extractionraw oil

Transportation

Refinery

Heat gridElectricity

grid

Extractionnatural gas

Transportation

Power plant

Functional Units forEnvironmental Evaluation

Each system provides:

4 Electricity: 175 GWh/a

4 Transportation service: 1,000 Million km/a (based on 100 kt/a of bioethanol for passenger car)

4 Phenols: 5,600 t/a

4 Heat: 110 GWh/a

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

- 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Wood bioethanolbiorefienery

Wood polygeneration, con.phenols

Wood CHP, gasoline, con.phenols

Wood heating, natural gas,gasoline, con. phenols

Fossil reference system

Greenhouse Gas Emissions [1,000 t CO2-eq./a]

CO2 CH4 N2O

48

57

288

367

408

- 10%

- 29%

- 86%

- 88%

- 2 4 6 8 10

Wood bioethanolbiorefienery

Wood polygeneration,con. phenols

Wood CHP, gasoline,con. phenols

Wood heating, naturalgas, gasoline, con.

phenols

Fossil reference system

Cumulated Primary Energy Demand [PJ/a]

Fossil energy Biomass Others

8.6

7.0

6.2

5.85

5.91

Cumulated Primary Energy Demand

- 33%

- 84%

- 90%

- 9% Reduction fossil energy

Indicator for Environmental Evaluation: Specific GHG Reduction

-0.50

-0.65

-0.61

-0.93

-

-1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 -

Wood bioethanolbiorefienery

Wood polygeneration,con. phenols

Wood CHP, gasoline,con. phenols

Wood heating, naturalgas, gasoline, con.

phenols

Fossil reference system

Specific Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction [t CO2-eq./twood]

Indicator for Environmental Evaluation: Specific Fossil Fuel Reduction

-7.4

-9.1

-9.8

-12.6

-

-14.0 -12.0 -10.0 -8.0 -6.0 -4.0 -2.0 -

Wood bioethanolbiorefienery

Wood polygeneration,con. phenols

Wood CHP, gasoline,con. phenols

Wood heating, naturalgas, gasoline, con.

phenols

Fossil reference system

Specific Fossil Fuel Reduction [GJ fossil energy/twood]

Indicator for Environmental Evaluation: Trade Off (I)

-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

--1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0

Specific GHG reduction [ t CO2-eq/twood]

Spec

ific

redu

ctio

n fo

ssil

fuel

s [G

J fos

sil f

uel/t

woo

d]

Wood bioethanol biorefieneryWood polygeneration, con. phenolsWood CHP, gasoline, con. phenolsWood heating, natural gas, gasoline, con. phenolsFossil reference system

Indicator for Environmental Evaluation: Trade Off (II)

-1.0

-0.8

-0.5

-0.3

--400.00 -350.00 -300.00 -250.00 -200.00 -150.00 -100.00 -50.00 0.00

GHG reduction [ t CO2-eq/a]

Spec

ific

GH

G re

duct

ion

[t C

O2-

eq/t w

ood]

Wood bioethanol biorefieneryWood polygeneration, con. phenolsWood CHP, gasoline, con. phenolsWood heating, natural gas, gasoline, con. phenolsFossil reference system

Conclusions

“Multi-platform biorefinery system” might be biorefinery complex of the future

Indicators developed for environmental evaluationCO2-eq and fossil fuel saving (specific/absolut terms)

Evaluation of biorefinery systems is complex

Many different biorefinery systems – focus on transportation biofuels orientated systems