Environmental Management of Energy from Biofuels and Biofeedstocks E-Book

James G. Speight

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 498

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

The most comprehensive and thorough volume on the environmental aspects of energy from biofuels and biofeedstocks Biomass is a renewable resource whose utilization has received great attention due to environmental considerations and the increasing demands of energy worldwide. Since the energy crises of the 1970s, many countries have become interested in biomass as a fuel source to expand the development of domestic and renewable energy sources, reduce the environmental impacts of energy production, provide rural prosperity for its poor farmers, and bolster a flat agricultural sector. This first volume in the Energy and the Environment series discusses the environmental impacts and social concerns of energy production in its various forms, offering comprehensive coverage of the many available biofuels. Starting with a historical overview, Environmental Management of Energy from Biomass and Biofeedstocks: * Presents a full technological treatment of the processes, engineering, and applications of biofuels and biofeedstocks * Describes the relevant technologies and their environmental impacts * Covers the social aspects, economic aspects, and the future of biofuels * Discusses a variety of biofuels and their possible use and applicability in different countries

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Half Title page

Title page

Copyright page

Preface

Chapter 1: Fuels From Biomass

1.1 Introduction

1.2 The Growth of Biofuels

1.3 Conventional Biomass Feedstocks

1.4 Challenges to Conventional Feedstocks

1.5 Fuels from Crop Residues, Wood and Dedicated Energy Crops

1.6 Technologies for Converting Biomass into Liquid Fuels

1.7 The Biorefinery Concept

1.8 Outlook for Cellulosic Liquid Fuels

1.9 Biofuels

References

Chapter 2: Environmental Aspects

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2.3 Life Cycle Considerations of Biofuels

2.4 Refining Feedstocks Into Biofuels

2.5 Impact of Growing Biomass

References

Chapter 3: Biofuel Policies

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Regional, National and Local Policies

3.3 International Environmental Instruments

3.4 Standards and Certification Schemes

3.5 International Trade

References

Chapter 4: The Biofuel Life Cycle

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Energy Balance and Energy Efficiency of Biofuels

4.3 Ethanol in SI Engines

4.4 Ethanol in CI Engines

4.5 Biodiesel Blends

4.6 Unblended Biodiesel

4.7 Other Biofuels

References

Chapter 5: Social Aspects

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Agricultural and Rural Development

5.3 Expanding Markets

5.4 Creating Employment

5.5 Subsidies

5.6 Biofuel Processing

5.7 Biofuels for Local Use

5.8 Food Versus Fuel Debate

5.9 Infrastructure Requirements

5.10 Transport, Storage and Delivery

5.11 Government Policies and Regulations

References

Chapter 6: The Future of Biofuels

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Next Generation Biofuels

6.3 Integrated Refining Concepts – The Biorefinery

6.4 Strategies for Biofuel Use

6.5 Market Barriers of Biofuel

6.6 Managing Biofuel Production

6.7 The Future

References

Conversion Factors

Glossary

Index

Also of Interest

Environmental Management of Energyfrom Biofuels and Biofeedstocks

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Preface

Biomass is a renewable resource, whose utilization has received great attention due to environmental considerations and the increasing demand for energy worldwide. Since the energy crises of the 1970s, many countries have become interested in biomass as a fuel source to expand the development of domestic and renewable energy sources, reduce the environmental impact of energy production, provide rural prosperity for its poor farmers and bolster a flat agricultural sector. Biomass energy (bioenergy) can be an important alternative in the future and a more sustainable energy. In fact, for large portions of the rural population of developing countries, and for the poorest section of urban populations, biomass is often the only available and affordable source of energy for satisfying basic needs as cooking and heating.

The environmental risks associated with growing biomass for fuel production such as loss of wild habitat, loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on soil, air and water make the case for carefully managing biofuel production processes to minimize ecological impact. New energy crops, improved management practices (methods of cultivation and harvest), alternative farming methods (reduced soil erosion, improved soil quality, reduced water consumption, reduced susceptibility to pests and diseases (minimize usage of herbicides and pesticides) will critically engage the attention of the scientific community, governments and planners. Implementing policies and instruments (certifications and standards) for a sustainable biofuel market and the considerations for international trade must also be critically examined so all stakeholders are treated equitably and emerging producers have a say in the global debate.

The importance of the biofuel life cycle in terms of energy and fuel characteristics for some of the more commercially available biofuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, straight vegetable oils, animal fats, dimethyl ether (DME) and biomass to liquids (BtL), in addition to attributes as energy efficiency, engine and vehicle effects, and fuel consumption, must feature prominently in any discussion regarding a suitable substitute for petro-fuels and reducing greenhouse gases.

The social aspects of the management of biofuels (development of agriculture and rural areas as instruments for expanding markets and creating employment), the role of producing value-added products, the use of subsidies in the development of a biofuel economy and challenges as supplementing typically imported fuels, fuel vs. food debate, logistical concerns related to infrastructure, transport and delivery, and policies and regulations must also be critically engaged by stakeholders as the industry matures. Discussion must also include next generation biofuels, advances in the biorefinery concept, new vehicle technologies, market barriers and upcoming biofuel competitors to round out such a diverse topic.

Thus, the focus of the book is to present a historical overview, country perspectives, a description of the use of biomass to produce biofuels, the current and upcoming sources of biofuels, technologies and processes for biofuel production, the various types of biofuels and, specifically, the ways and means to make biofuel production sustainable, economically feasible, minimize environmental damage and to deliver on its many promises. A large task for any alternative fuel in the early stages of its development. Greater public and private sector initiatives will be required to make biofuels mainstream and a credible alternative to petro-fuels.

James G. Speight, PhD, DSc, PhD Laramie, Wyoming, USA

Kamel Singh BSc, MSc St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

September 2013.

Chapter 1

Fuels From Biomass

1.1 Introduction

Biomass is a renewable resource, whose utilization has received great attention due to environmental considerations and the increasing demands of energy worldwide. Since the energy crises of the 1970s, many countries have become interested in biomass as a fuel source to expand the development of domestic and renewable energy sources and reduce the environmental impacts of energy production (Seifried and Witzel, 2010). Biomass energy (bioenergy) can be an important alternative in the future as a more sustainable energy supply. Currently, it accounts for 35% of primary energy consumption in developing countries, raising the world total to 14% of primary energy consumption from bioenergy (Demirbaş, 2006; Ericsson and Nilsson, 2006; Speight, 2008; Nersesian, 2010; Speight, 2011a). It is the main energy source in a number of countries and regions (Hoogwijk et al., 2005). In fact, for large portions of the rural populations of developing countries, and for the poorest sections of urban populations, biomass is often the only available and affordable source of energy for basic needs such as cooking and heating (Demirbaş, 2006).

Biomass has the largest potential and is considered the best option to insure fuel supply in the future (Speight, 2008; Balat, 2011). As 90% of the world’s population is expected to reside in developing countries by 2050, biomass energy is predicted to be a substantial energy feedstock and various energy scenarios suggest potential market shares of modern biomass of approximately 10% to 50% till the year 2050 (Hoogwijk et al., 2005).

Biomass, mainly in the form of wood, is the oldest form of energy used by humans. Traditionally, biomass has been utilized through direct combustion, and this process is still widely used in many parts of the developing world. In industrialized countries, the main biomass processes used in the future are expected to be powered by direct combustion of residues and wastes for electricity generation, bio-ethanol and biodiesel as liquid fuels, and combined heat and power production from energy crops (UNCTAD, 2008; NREL, 2009; Balat, 2011; Lee and Shah, 2013).

The most important biomass energy sources are wood and wood wastes, agricultural crops and their waste byproducts, municipal solid waste (MSW), animal wastes, waste from food processing, and aquatic plants and algae. The majority of biomass energy is produced from wood and wood wastes (64%), followed by MSW (24%), agricultural waste (5%), and landfill gases (5%) (Demirbaş, 2001).

Thus, energy management is not only related to resource management and economics but also to the environment and the ecology. With the depletion of fossil fuels, a gradual shift to renewable energy sources including biofuels is inevitable, but it is a matter of the timing of the shift and the preparation time before the shift (Speight, 2011b). However, extensive research and development efforts are required to make the renewable energy sources cost-effective, affordable and sustainable (Speight, 2011a). Coprocessing of petroleum residues, coal, biomass, and wastes (Speight, 2011a, 2011b, 2013a, 2013b, 2014) may generate cleaner fuels in the transition period from conventional to biofuels, which may extend the life span of petroleum use (Bower, 2009; Speight, 2011b).

However, for a given feedstock, the management of feedstocks includes several issues that require attention: (1) chemical composition of the biomass, (2) cultivation practices, (3) availability of land and land use practices, (4) use of resources, (5) energy balance, (6) emission of greenhouse gases, acidifying gases and ozone depletion gases, (7) absorption of minerals to water and soil, (8) injection of pesticides, (9) soil erosion, (10) contribution to biodiversity and landscape value losses, (11) farm-gate price of the biomass, (12) the cost of logistics (transport and storage of the biomass), (13) direct economic value of the feedstocks taking into account the co-products, (14) creation or maintain of employment, and (15) water requirements and water availability (Gnansounou et al., 2005; Tampier et al., 2005).