Biochar An Economic Challenge · Biochar production costs and values Biochar costs • feedstock availability and costs • technology • labor requirement • byproducts such as

Biochar – An Economic Challenge

Christoph Steiner, Gerald Marinitsch BIOCHAR.org, www.stirling.dk

Biochar production costs and values

Biochar costs • feedstock availability and costs • technology • labor requirement • byproducts such as heat and power • opportunity costs

Biochar values • agronomic benefits • climate change mitigation • others?? animal health, odor reduction • •

Biochar quality

Each year, the USA population uses three times more fossil energy than the total solar energy captured by all the plants in the USA per year (Pimentel et al. 2009)

In the USA, only 1% to 2% home heating is achieved with wood (USCB 1990).

FAO, The State of Food and Agriculture 2007

Biomass availability

http://www.biochar.org/ http://www.biochar.org/

Biomass availability Galveston, Tx

Biomass availability Denmark/Germany

Biomass availability Northern Nigeria

Biomass availability Northern Nigeria

Biomass availability Northern Nigeria

Biomass availability humid tropics e.g. oil palm

A Mill with a capacity of 60 Mg FFB h-1

Generates 83 000 EFB Mg yr-1

Is the carbon value of biochar more than that of charcoal used to substitute fossil fuel? Additionality? Is biochar additional as it will always compete with charcoal? Would highly priced biochar products pass the additionality test?

Emissions Trading biochar carbon sequestration

Emissions Trading biochar vs. ash

These lost profits need to be compensated by agronomic benefits and/or carbon credits

Aggregated transaction costs are currently averaging about $200,000 per project. (UNDP, CDM User’s Guide)

Emissions Trading transaction costs

Emissions Trading acknowledgement

Biochar biomass feedstock

High value biomass “European waste biomass”

Energy production Ideal • Some energy in the char

Not ideal: • High moisture content • High ash content • low bulk density • Some energy in the char

Biochar production costs

Low due to energy production

Relatively high

Biochar opportunity costs

Fuel value (high quality charcoal) Fuel value of the biomass

• low fuel value (ash content)

Technical difficulties

Easier

Challenging: • chlorine corrosion • deposition of ash layers • heat transfer

BlackCarbon Denmark

The BC300 CHP pyrolysis unit

CHP Burner

Heat Exchanger

Stirling Engine

Pyrolysis

Heat & Power

Biochar

Hot exhaust gases

Pyrolysis gas

Biomass

The BC300 CHP pyrolysis unit

Stirling DK fills a significant gap in biomass CHP

C

APA

CIT

Y

SUITABILITY FOR BASE LOAD

High Fuel Cost Low Fuel Cost

Low (< 500 kW)

High (> 500 kW)

Coal fired boilers + steam turbine.

Combined

Cycle Gas

Turbines

Diesel gen sets

Gas

engine

Gas/oil fired

boilers + steam turbine

Biomass

Gasification

+engine

Biomass

+steam

turbine Biomass

+ORC

Stirling

Stirling engine

Gerald Marinitsch

Technology combustion chamber and Stirling engine

Gerald Marinitsch

Stirling single engine containerized plant

Gerald Marinitsch

Stirling 4 engine installation Tabarz, Germany

Sonnenerde Austria

Renewable Energy/Biochar System

Fossil Energy/Peat Reference System

Increasing atmos. C

Pyrolysis

Avoided Emissions

Biomass energy

Sequestered Carbon

Emissions Fossil Fuel

Avoided Emissions

peat substitution

Emissions Peat Decay

Mining of fossil carbon

Reducing atmos. C

Peat substitute: Adding value and GHG emissions reductions

Peat substitute: Adding value and GHG emissions reductions

Renewable Energy/Biochar System

Fossil Energy/Peat Reference System

Increasing atmos. C

Pyrolysis

Biomass Energy 0 Mg CO2e

Sequestered Carbon

- 456 Mg CO2e

Emissions Fossil Fuel 176 Mg CO2e

Biochar as peat substitute

- 456 Mg CO2e

Emissions Peat Decay 283 Mg CO2e

Mining of fossil carbon 459 Mg CO2e

Reducing atmos. C

915 Mg CO2e per year per BC-300

Biochar based growing media 100% peat based growing media

Biochar based growing media 100% peat based growing media

Renewable Energy/Biochar System

Fossil Energy/Peat Reference System

Increasing atmos. C

Pyrolysis

Avoided Emissions

Biomass energy

Sequestered Carbon

Emissions Fossil Fuel

Avoided Emissions

Compost, landfill

Emissions CH4, N2O, CO2, ?

Mining of fossil carbon

Reducing atmos. C

Compost: Adding value and GHG emissions reductions

Experiment II biochar as bulking agent in composting

Compost with and without biochar

0% Kohle 20% Kohle 20% Kohle

Renewable Energy/Biochar System

Fossil Energy/Peat Reference System

Increasing atmos. C

Pyrolysis

Avoided Emissions

Biomass energy

Sequestered Carbon

Emissions Fossil Fuel

Avoided Emissions, added Value ?????????

Emissions CH4, N2O, CO2, ?

Mining of fossil carbon

Reducing atmos. C

Other applications: Adding value GHG emissions reductions

? ?