Bangladesh to dramatically expand technology that doubles efficiency of urea fertilizer use
Malawi's much discussed super harvests, which turned the country from a food aid dependent begging bowl into a major food exporter, were the result of a simple, coordinated government intervention: the subsidization of fertilizers for small farmers. This example is important to the bioenergy community because it proves food insecure countries with a large agricultural potential can turn their fate around with modest means and simply by improving access to the most basic modern farm inputs. If all developing countries with a large biofuel potential were to introduce similar measures - and the FAO recently called for such interventions - then the huge global bioenergy potential could begin to be tapped in a safe manner without provoking a food versus fuel debate.
Countries and regions that have already undergone the Green Revolution can still boost farm outputs simply by targetting fertilizer inputs better. Interesting recent results from precision farming trials in Punjab, India, showed rice yields can be increased consistently and fertilizer use reduced (previous post).
Now the Government of Bangladesh announces that it will expand a similar technology, known as 'urea deep placement' (UDP) - a successful technique that doubles the efficiency of urea fertilizer use - to almost 1 million hectares of rice land, reaching about 1.6 million farm families, in the coming 'boro' or dry season. Bangladesh's successful trials with the technique are now being replicated elsewhere in South Asia and in Africa.
UDP is the insertion of large urea briquettes into the rice root zone after transplanting. UDP cuts nitrogen losses significantly. Farmers who use UDP can increase yields by 25% while using less than 50% as much urea as before.
The effectiveness of UDP technology in Bangladesh was proven through research funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD, also active in promoting bioenergy in the South) and implemented with the assistance of IFDC - an International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development. The Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh has requested that IFDC help implement the expanded project.
Millions of rice farmers in Asia depend on urea fertilizer to meet the nitrogen needs of high-yielding rice varieties, says Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC CEO. Most farmers, including those in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia, broadcast urea into the floodwater.
But broadcasting is a highly inefficient application method because most of the nitrogen is lost to the air and water. Only one bag of urea in three is used by the plants. Using UDP, Bangladesh's dry season rice production is expected to increase by 548,000 tons, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: food :: rice :: fertilizer :: agronomy :: efficiency :: Bangladesh ::
The technology not only improves farmer income, but creates employment because of the need for the briquettes. Ten Bangladeshi manufacturers have produced and sold more than 2,000 briquette-making machines. The new UDP program will include the manufacture and establishment of some 300 briquetting machines to manufacture 2.7-gram briquettes.
UDP technology was introduced in Bangladesh in the late 1990s; by 2006 more than half a million farmers had adopted UDP. Average paddy yields had increased 20% to 25%, and income from paddy sales increased by 10%, while urea expenditures decreased 32%. Farmers who use UDP can reduce urea use by 78 to 150 kg/ha and increase paddy yields by 900 to 1,100 kg/ha. The net return to farmers of using UDP versus broadcasting urea averages $188/ha.
Bangladesh's success with UDP has become a model for other rice-growing countries, Roy says. IFDC has also introduced UDP in Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Nigeria, Mali, Togo, and Malawi.
Improved rice production implies a greater availability of the already abundant rice by-products such as hulls and straw. These biomass streams can be utilized as feedstock in biomass power plants, some of which are being improved to burn this dedicated resource in a highly efficient manner (see the Fraunhofer Institute's work on dedicated fluidized bed combustion systems). The straw would also be an abundant feedstock for next generation cellulosic ethanol and synthetic biofuels.
Image: A vendor selling urea briquettes in Bangladesh. Credit: IFDC
References:
Eurekalert: Bangladesh to dramatically expand technology that doubles efficiency of urea fertilizer use - December 18, 200
Biopact: Malawi's super harvest proves biofuel critics wrong - or, how to beat hunger and produce more oil than OPEC - December 04, 2007
Biopact: Site-specific nutrient management sees increases in rice yields - December 11, 2007
Biopact: Unlocking the vast energy potential of rice husks - August 15, 2006
Article continues
Countries and regions that have already undergone the Green Revolution can still boost farm outputs simply by targetting fertilizer inputs better. Interesting recent results from precision farming trials in Punjab, India, showed rice yields can be increased consistently and fertilizer use reduced (previous post).
Now the Government of Bangladesh announces that it will expand a similar technology, known as 'urea deep placement' (UDP) - a successful technique that doubles the efficiency of urea fertilizer use - to almost 1 million hectares of rice land, reaching about 1.6 million farm families, in the coming 'boro' or dry season. Bangladesh's successful trials with the technique are now being replicated elsewhere in South Asia and in Africa.
UDP is the insertion of large urea briquettes into the rice root zone after transplanting. UDP cuts nitrogen losses significantly. Farmers who use UDP can increase yields by 25% while using less than 50% as much urea as before.
The effectiveness of UDP technology in Bangladesh was proven through research funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD, also active in promoting bioenergy in the South) and implemented with the assistance of IFDC - an International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development. The Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh has requested that IFDC help implement the expanded project.
Millions of rice farmers in Asia depend on urea fertilizer to meet the nitrogen needs of high-yielding rice varieties, says Dr. Amit Roy, IFDC CEO. Most farmers, including those in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia, broadcast urea into the floodwater.
But broadcasting is a highly inefficient application method because most of the nitrogen is lost to the air and water. Only one bag of urea in three is used by the plants. Using UDP, Bangladesh's dry season rice production is expected to increase by 548,000 tons, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Yields were comparatively good where urea was deep placed. If we can save at least 20% of the urea by adopting UDP technology, we can supply a large part of the country's demand from our own factories. - Dr. C.S. Karim, Advisor, Bangladesh Ministry of AgricultureUDP technology improves nitrogen use efficiency by keeping most of the urea nitrogen in the soil close to the rice roots and out of the floodwater, where it is more susceptible to loss as gaseous compounds or runoff:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: food :: rice :: fertilizer :: agronomy :: efficiency :: Bangladesh ::
The technology not only improves farmer income, but creates employment because of the need for the briquettes. Ten Bangladeshi manufacturers have produced and sold more than 2,000 briquette-making machines. The new UDP program will include the manufacture and establishment of some 300 briquetting machines to manufacture 2.7-gram briquettes.
UDP technology was introduced in Bangladesh in the late 1990s; by 2006 more than half a million farmers had adopted UDP. Average paddy yields had increased 20% to 25%, and income from paddy sales increased by 10%, while urea expenditures decreased 32%. Farmers who use UDP can reduce urea use by 78 to 150 kg/ha and increase paddy yields by 900 to 1,100 kg/ha. The net return to farmers of using UDP versus broadcasting urea averages $188/ha.
Bangladesh's success with UDP has become a model for other rice-growing countries, Roy says. IFDC has also introduced UDP in Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Nigeria, Mali, Togo, and Malawi.
Improved rice production implies a greater availability of the already abundant rice by-products such as hulls and straw. These biomass streams can be utilized as feedstock in biomass power plants, some of which are being improved to burn this dedicated resource in a highly efficient manner (see the Fraunhofer Institute's work on dedicated fluidized bed combustion systems). The straw would also be an abundant feedstock for next generation cellulosic ethanol and synthetic biofuels.
Image: A vendor selling urea briquettes in Bangladesh. Credit: IFDC
References:
Eurekalert: Bangladesh to dramatically expand technology that doubles efficiency of urea fertilizer use - December 18, 200
Biopact: Malawi's super harvest proves biofuel critics wrong - or, how to beat hunger and produce more oil than OPEC - December 04, 2007
Biopact: Site-specific nutrient management sees increases in rice yields - December 11, 2007
Biopact: Unlocking the vast energy potential of rice husks - August 15, 2006
Article continues
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The bioeconomy at work: Solvay to produce green PVC from sugarcane ethanol
Santo Andre would be the first industrial project in the Americas implementing renewable, green resources for the production of PVC. This innovation will prevent the emission of large quantities of C02 into the atmosphere. In the case of sugarcane based 'bio-ethylene', the reduction can even be larger than 100% (check out why, here).
Just recently, scientists reported that the utilisation of bio-based feedstocks for the production of 16 of the most commonly used bulk chemicals can reduce emissions by up to a billion tonnes of CO2 in future scenarios (earlier post). Sugarcane was identified as the leading candidate for efficient bio-based chemicals and is attracting considerable attention from manufacturers and researchers (here, here, here and here). Bulk chemicals, currently made from petroleum and natural gas, are used in the production of everything from plastics and fertilizers to electronic components and medicines.
Ethylene (C2H4) is the most produced organic compound in the world with global production exceeding 75 million metric tonnes per year. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a thermoplastic polymer and one of the most valuable products of the chemical industry. PVC can be found in thousands of commonly used products, ranging from pipelines and hoses to traffic signs and floors.
Solvay Indupa’s ambition is to complete the expansion of Santo Andre by 2010. The plant would then have an installed capacity of 360,000 tons/year of PVC; 360,000 tons /year of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), 235,000 tons/year of Caustic Soda and 60,000 tons/year of bio-ethylene.
Solvay Indupa is also studying with Argentinean energy group Albanesi S.A. the construction of a 165 megawatt combined cycle electrical power plant on Solvay Indupa’s site in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. The project would require an investment of USD 135 million and would provide for a reliable and competitive coverage of the site’s entire energy needs:
energy :: sustainability :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: climate change :: emissions :: ethanol :: green chemistry :: bulk chemicals :: ethylene :: PVC :: sugarcane :: Brazil ::
In order to finance these investments, Solvay Indupa is considering a capital increase of approximately USD 130 million, to be placed in local and international capital markets through Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs) at the São Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa).
The Solvay group is one of the world’s leading vinyls producer, ranking second in Europe and third globally. In addition to SolVin, its joint venture with BASF in Europe, the Group’s activities in PVC and other products of the vinyl chain span across Asia and Latin America, through the affiliates Vinythai in Thailand and Solvay Indupa in Argentina and Brazil.
Solvay Indupa, a company of the Solvay group, is one of the most important petrochemical companies in the Mercosur. Its main products are PVC resins and Caustic Soda. Solvay Indupa has its main offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina and two industrial sites: in Bahía Blanca (Argentina) and Santo André (Brazil). Solvay holds 70.1% of Solvay Indupa, which is listed on the Buenos Aires stock market.
Solvay is an international chemical and pharmaceutical group employing some 29,000 people in 50 countries. In 2006, its consolidated sales amounted to €9.4 billion, generated by its three sectors of activity: chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals.
In June, a competitor to Solvay, Braskem (the leading company in Latin America's thermoplastic resins segment and Brazil's second largest privately owned industrial company), announced it had produced the first batch of internationally certified polyethylene made from sugarcane ethanol (more here). The Dow Chemical Company and Crystalsev, one of Brazil's largest ethanol players also unnveiled plans for a world-scale facility to manufacture polyethylene from sugar cane (earlier post).
References:
Solvay: Solvay Indupa will produce bioethanol-based vinyl in Brasil & considers state-of-the-art power generation in Argentina - December 14, 2007.
Biopact: Researchers find bio-based bulk chemicals could save up to 1 billion tonnes of CO2 - December 17, 2007
Biopact: The bioeconomy at work: Braskem develops polyethylene from sugarcane ethanol - June 25, 2007
Biopact: Dow and Crystalsev to make polyethylene from sugar cane in Brazil - July 19, 2007
Biopact: Australia and South Korea team up to produce bioproducts from sugarcane - May 18, 2007
Biopact: Metabolix to develop bioplastics from sugarcane - May 09, 2007
Article continues
posted by Biopact team at 11:14 PM 0 comments links to this post