Biomass Comes of Age

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*