Thai experts call to plant more eucalyptus trees for bio-oil production
Renewable energy experts from Thailand have called [*cache] on the government to expand eucalyptus plantations for production of carbon-neutral and renewable bio-oil, which can be used as a substitute for costly fossil fuels. Nikhom Laemsak, director of Kasetsart University's forestry research centre, said the university had been working with a Canadian firm on setting up a eucalyptus oil production plant after an initial study found that Thailand had the potential to become a bio-oil producer.
Scientist will use the fast pyrolysis process to produce eucalyptus-based biofuel. Fast pyrolysis is a thermochemical bioconversion method in which (renewable) biomass is rapidly heated to 450-600°C in the absence of air. The outcome of the process is bio-oil (70%), char (18%) and bio-gas (12%) (more info at the IEA Bioenergy Task 34 on fast pyrolysis, at the Pyrolysis Network - a global network of researchers and developers of fast pyrolysis, or at the EU's broader ThermalNet, researching thermochemical biomass conversion processes such as gasification, direct combustion and pyrolysis).
The economic viability of fast-pyrolysis technologies mainly depends on the cost of the biomass feedstocks. Tropical countries where forest plantations have high yields and grow very fast, have a competitive advantage over more temperate countries where biomass productivity is considerably lower. This is why fast-pyrolysis is an attractive technology for implementation in the Global South. Case-studies show that developing countries (like Mozambique) can produce a huge amount of bio-oil (up to 3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day), export it over vast distances (e.g. to Rotterdam) and still deliver a fuel competitive with petroleum, with a low GHG and a high energy balance. The reason: they have the agro-climatic, land and labor resources to produce biomass feedstocks (such as eucalyptus) at low costs (the Mozambican case-study - *.ppt)
Nikhom Laemsak knows this and wants a first pyrolysis plant to be built in Roi Et province, which has a wide range of eucalyptus plantations. However, he adds that Thailand would need more eucalyptus supplies if it was interested in producing bio-oil on a large-scale and if it wants to tap crucial scale-advantages.
"The plant would require at least 100 tonnes of eucalyptus a day to generate 75,000 litres of bio-oil, which can be used as a substitute for crude oil in electricity generation and vehicle gasoline", he said:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: eucalyptus :: bio-oil :: pyrolysis :: Thailand ::
Thailand had failed to expand eucalyptus plantation areas due to strong opposition from environmentalists and local people, who claimed that the tree contains toxic substances that reduce soil quality and consume large amounts of water, causing dryness in the area.
Currently, most eucalyptus plantations are located in the northeastern provinces of Roi Et, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum, and the eastern provinces of Chachoengsao and Prachin Buri.
Mr Nikhom said the idea of producing bio-oil from eucalyptus trees was in line with the government's policy of increasing the use of renewable energy supplies to 4% of the total energy supply.
Renewable energy use currently amounts to only 1.35% of the energy supply, so a bigger push would be needed.
Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the Poverty Eradication Centre, who gave an opening speech at the seminar, backed the eucalyptus and bio-oil initiative.
He said commercial forest plantations would not only become a new source of fuel, but also a source of income for poor people, who could work in the plantations and sell trees to the bio-oil plant.
Scientist will use the fast pyrolysis process to produce eucalyptus-based biofuel. Fast pyrolysis is a thermochemical bioconversion method in which (renewable) biomass is rapidly heated to 450-600°C in the absence of air. The outcome of the process is bio-oil (70%), char (18%) and bio-gas (12%) (more info at the IEA Bioenergy Task 34 on fast pyrolysis, at the Pyrolysis Network - a global network of researchers and developers of fast pyrolysis, or at the EU's broader ThermalNet, researching thermochemical biomass conversion processes such as gasification, direct combustion and pyrolysis).
The economic viability of fast-pyrolysis technologies mainly depends on the cost of the biomass feedstocks. Tropical countries where forest plantations have high yields and grow very fast, have a competitive advantage over more temperate countries where biomass productivity is considerably lower. This is why fast-pyrolysis is an attractive technology for implementation in the Global South. Case-studies show that developing countries (like Mozambique) can produce a huge amount of bio-oil (up to 3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day), export it over vast distances (e.g. to Rotterdam) and still deliver a fuel competitive with petroleum, with a low GHG and a high energy balance. The reason: they have the agro-climatic, land and labor resources to produce biomass feedstocks (such as eucalyptus) at low costs (the Mozambican case-study - *.ppt)
Nikhom Laemsak knows this and wants a first pyrolysis plant to be built in Roi Et province, which has a wide range of eucalyptus plantations. However, he adds that Thailand would need more eucalyptus supplies if it was interested in producing bio-oil on a large-scale and if it wants to tap crucial scale-advantages.
"The plant would require at least 100 tonnes of eucalyptus a day to generate 75,000 litres of bio-oil, which can be used as a substitute for crude oil in electricity generation and vehicle gasoline", he said:
biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: eucalyptus :: bio-oil :: pyrolysis :: Thailand ::
Thailand had failed to expand eucalyptus plantation areas due to strong opposition from environmentalists and local people, who claimed that the tree contains toxic substances that reduce soil quality and consume large amounts of water, causing dryness in the area.
Currently, most eucalyptus plantations are located in the northeastern provinces of Roi Et, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Ratchasima and Chaiyaphum, and the eastern provinces of Chachoengsao and Prachin Buri.
Mr Nikhom said the idea of producing bio-oil from eucalyptus trees was in line with the government's policy of increasing the use of renewable energy supplies to 4% of the total energy supply.
Renewable energy use currently amounts to only 1.35% of the energy supply, so a bigger push would be needed.
Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the Poverty Eradication Centre, who gave an opening speech at the seminar, backed the eucalyptus and bio-oil initiative.
He said commercial forest plantations would not only become a new source of fuel, but also a source of income for poor people, who could work in the plantations and sell trees to the bio-oil plant.
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