Spanish company Ferry Group is to invest €42/US$55.2 million in a project for the production of biomass fuel pellets in Bulgaria.
The 3-year project consists of establishing plantations of paulownia trees near the city of Tran. Paulownia is a fast-growing tree used for the commercial production of fuel pellets.
The BBC looks at second generation biofuels and biomass
BBCNews just published a good introductory article on the future of 'second generation' biofuels and another one on bioenergy with a focus on solid biomass. As both articles explain the key issues well and illustrate them graphically, we republish them full, for future reference (all images, BBCNews.com):
Biofuels are being hailed by politicians around the globe as a salvation from the twin evils of high oil prices and climate change. The boom in biofuels in the US stems from President Bush's drive to reduce dependence on imports of foreign oil; in Europe it has a more environmental dimension.
Transport is responsible for a quarter of the UK's total emissions; four-fifths of that quarter comes from road vehicles. Realising this could threaten to undermine efforts to meet Kyoto Protocol commitments, the UK government announced earlier this year the introduction of a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). It requires fuel companies to add 5% biofuel to all petrol and diesel sold on their forecourts by 2010.
Click here for more information about growing demand for non-food crops.
Environmental concerns
When the plant-derived biofuel is burned in an engine, the CO2 released is offset by the amount of the gas absorbed by the plants when they grew. It is, in principle, approximately carbon neutral; though the energy needed to plant, tend, harvest, process and transport the finished product can make the equation less favourable.
Demand for land to grow these crops could put pressure on valuable ecosystems such as rainforests, and reduce the area available for subsistence food crops in developing countries. Jeremy Tompkinson, chief executive of the UK National Non-Food Crop Centre (NNFCC), shares these concerns. "If you are chopping down huge areas of rainforest in order to grow palm oil, not only is the palm oil not very environmentally friendly, think of the damage to the area's biodiversity. "This is a problem with some biodiesel, but the fuel we are using now is only a transitory thing."
The next generation
Mr Tompkinson predicts that within a decade, current biofuel production methods could be replaced by "second generation" fuels. "To me, this is the answer," he says. "It opens up a whole new ball game." "What we are calling second generation, when it comes to gasoline, is the use of lignocelluloses.
"Lignocellulose is a clever, technical way of saying biomass - it means anything that comes out of the ground." Mr Tompkinson says it will more than double yields:
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: cellulosic ::
"Instead of just taking the grain from wheat and grinding that down to get starch and gluten, then just taking the starch, we are going to take the whole crop - absolutely everything." Second generation fuel will also have a smaller carbon footprint because the amount of energy-intensive fertilisers and fungicides will remain the same, he adds, for a higher output of useable material.
Because the technology will allow biofuel to be produced from any plant material, there would be no conflict between the need for food and the need for fuel. "We can let the lads who grow wheat grow it for nutritional value, and we can have another sector that is growing non-food crops for fuel, chemicals and pharmaceuticals," Mr Tompkinson suggests.
"Because we are going to break everything down anyway, we can look at a whole new range of crops that really are energy crops, not short-rotation coppice crops that we are using now." He says two possible energy crops are sunflowers and fodder maize.
Early days
Oil giant BP is investing $500m (£266m) in an "energy bioscience institute", which will be based in either the UK or US. "There have been major improvements to food yields and productivity by applying plant science to agriculture," says spokesman David Nicholas, "but it has not been done yet in terms of applying that science to the yielding of energy crops."
BP is also investing money into research in India, where it is looking at whether it can derive biodiesel from plants that can be grown on soil not suitable for food crops. "Biofuels are a reality and will become an increasing part of our industry, but we are at the early stages of what are the most efficient and advanced biofuels," Mr Nicholas observes.
There are two sizeable barriers that need to be tackled before second generation biofuels arrive at the pumps - technology and cost. "It is technically far more complicated than current production methods," says Mr Tompkinson. "All the different [sugars] in the plant need their own enzymes to break them down.
"A number of companies are looking at something called 'cellulose accessing packages' that will allow us to take a bag of enzymes and pour it on to lignocellulose and ferment the whole lot," he explains. The NNFCC is about to carry out a feasibility study to find out whether the UK could have a Biomass-To-Liquid (BTL) processing plant, which can produce the fuel.
Mr Tompkinson believes a BTL plant will require a serious amount of investment: "For a world-scale BTL plant, you are looking in the region of £200m ($375m). "Currently, a 250,000-tonne biodiesel plant costs about £50m ($94m), so that is a big difference for the same amount of fuel.
But because of its environmental advantages, Mr Tompkinson says governments all over Europe are paying close attention to this technology "because BTL really could be the way forward".
UK 'lacks ambition' on bioenergy
British policies on bioenergy from plants and other natural materials lack ambition and clarity, MPs have said.
The Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efracom) says the UK is lagging behind other countries.
It urges the government to look beyond its existing 5% target for biofuels in road transport, and promote bioenergy for heating homes and aviation.
However, it says that wide adoption of currently available biofuels could have serious consequences for wildlife.
The government's target, announced last year in response to a European directive, is to have 5% of road transport fuelled by bioethanol and biodiesel by 2010.
Last year, Efracom says, the figure was 0.25%; in 2003, France and Germany combined produced 100 times more biofuel than Britain.
"The government has got to show a much greater commitment, coherence and enthusiasm in the way it develops its bioenergy policies," said Efracom chairman, Michael Jack MP.
"For a nation that prides itself on its international leadership role on the climate change agenda, it's not acceptable for Britain to lag behind so many other countries in the way that it is embracing bioenergy."
Biofuels made from crops such as wheat and rape are currently the most viable alternative to conventional petrol and diesel for road transport.
Like other bioenergy crops, their adoption would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere when they burn, but absorb it as they grow.
But land for growing them could quickly become scarce, Efracom concludes. Moving beyond the existing 5% target for road transport would, it says, have "serious land use implications".
The diversity of plants and animals would also be threatened.
The committee suggests that if the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, biofuels for transport may not be the best option.
Using the same land to grow plants which would be burned to produce heat or electricity or both could yield better returns, it feels.
How biomass works
:: One possible use of biomass fuel is in power plants using a process such as the one shown above, the Combined Cycle
:: The fuel is turned into hot pressurised combustion gases, which are cleaned to prevent corrosion of the system
:: The clean gases are then burned with air before entering a turbine, generating electricity
:: Heat from the gases is recovered after the gas turbine using water in the heat exchanger
:: The combustion gases can then usually be vented from a stack without further cleaning
:: The only other by-product is non-toxic ash, which could, for example, be mixed with compost to help grow more biomass fuel
Last year, a government-commissioned Biomass Task Force said biomass could provide 7% of Britain's heat by 2015. But the energy review published in July refrained from setting targets for its take-up.
The UK's non-food crops
Biofuels - oilseed rape, wheat, barley, sugar beet
Energy crops - willow, miscanthus
Biopolymers - linseed, high erucic acid rape, cereals
Biolubricants - crambe,
Pharmaceuticals - borage, crambe, poppy, echium, chamomile
Construction - hemp
The report is optimistic too about "second generation" technologies which could take organic waste such as wood chips, chicken litter, or straw and either burn them or convert them into other fuels.
It notes with particular interest that kerosene could be produced this way for use in aviation, currently the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Efracom concludes the government is not doing enough in these areas.
"Policy... amounts to disjointed piecemeal incentives, allowances and grant schemes," it says.
"The lack of ambition... by the government calls into question its whole commitment to the domestic climate change agenda."
[Entry ends here].
Biofuels are being hailed by politicians around the globe as a salvation from the twin evils of high oil prices and climate change. The boom in biofuels in the US stems from President Bush's drive to reduce dependence on imports of foreign oil; in Europe it has a more environmental dimension.Transport is responsible for a quarter of the UK's total emissions; four-fifths of that quarter comes from road vehicles. Realising this could threaten to undermine efforts to meet Kyoto Protocol commitments, the UK government announced earlier this year the introduction of a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). It requires fuel companies to add 5% biofuel to all petrol and diesel sold on their forecourts by 2010.
Click here for more information about growing demand for non-food crops.
Environmental concerns
When the plant-derived biofuel is burned in an engine, the CO2 released is offset by the amount of the gas absorbed by the plants when they grew. It is, in principle, approximately carbon neutral; though the energy needed to plant, tend, harvest, process and transport the finished product can make the equation less favourable.
The scientific principle behind biomass is the carbon cycle- As they grow plants absorb carbon dioxide (C02)
- The carbon (C) builds tissues and feeds the plant while the oxygen (02) is released
- When plant material is burned the carbon re-combines with oxygen
- The resulting carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere
- The contribution of biomass to the greenhouse effect is therefore far less than for traditional fossil fuels
Demand for land to grow these crops could put pressure on valuable ecosystems such as rainforests, and reduce the area available for subsistence food crops in developing countries. Jeremy Tompkinson, chief executive of the UK National Non-Food Crop Centre (NNFCC), shares these concerns. "If you are chopping down huge areas of rainforest in order to grow palm oil, not only is the palm oil not very environmentally friendly, think of the damage to the area's biodiversity. "This is a problem with some biodiesel, but the fuel we are using now is only a transitory thing."
The next generation
Mr Tompkinson predicts that within a decade, current biofuel production methods could be replaced by "second generation" fuels. "To me, this is the answer," he says. "It opens up a whole new ball game." "What we are calling second generation, when it comes to gasoline, is the use of lignocelluloses.
"Lignocellulose is a clever, technical way of saying biomass - it means anything that comes out of the ground." Mr Tompkinson says it will more than double yields:
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: cellulosic :: "Instead of just taking the grain from wheat and grinding that down to get starch and gluten, then just taking the starch, we are going to take the whole crop - absolutely everything." Second generation fuel will also have a smaller carbon footprint because the amount of energy-intensive fertilisers and fungicides will remain the same, he adds, for a higher output of useable material.
Because the technology will allow biofuel to be produced from any plant material, there would be no conflict between the need for food and the need for fuel. "We can let the lads who grow wheat grow it for nutritional value, and we can have another sector that is growing non-food crops for fuel, chemicals and pharmaceuticals," Mr Tompkinson suggests.
"Because we are going to break everything down anyway, we can look at a whole new range of crops that really are energy crops, not short-rotation coppice crops that we are using now." He says two possible energy crops are sunflowers and fodder maize.
Early days
Oil giant BP is investing $500m (£266m) in an "energy bioscience institute", which will be based in either the UK or US. "There have been major improvements to food yields and productivity by applying plant science to agriculture," says spokesman David Nicholas, "but it has not been done yet in terms of applying that science to the yielding of energy crops."
BP is also investing money into research in India, where it is looking at whether it can derive biodiesel from plants that can be grown on soil not suitable for food crops. "Biofuels are a reality and will become an increasing part of our industry, but we are at the early stages of what are the most efficient and advanced biofuels," Mr Nicholas observes.
There are two sizeable barriers that need to be tackled before second generation biofuels arrive at the pumps - technology and cost. "It is technically far more complicated than current production methods," says Mr Tompkinson. "All the different [sugars] in the plant need their own enzymes to break them down.
"A number of companies are looking at something called 'cellulose accessing packages' that will allow us to take a bag of enzymes and pour it on to lignocellulose and ferment the whole lot," he explains. The NNFCC is about to carry out a feasibility study to find out whether the UK could have a Biomass-To-Liquid (BTL) processing plant, which can produce the fuel.
Mr Tompkinson believes a BTL plant will require a serious amount of investment: "For a world-scale BTL plant, you are looking in the region of £200m ($375m). "Currently, a 250,000-tonne biodiesel plant costs about £50m ($94m), so that is a big difference for the same amount of fuel.
But because of its environmental advantages, Mr Tompkinson says governments all over Europe are paying close attention to this technology "because BTL really could be the way forward".
UK 'lacks ambition' on bioenergy
British policies on bioenergy from plants and other natural materials lack ambition and clarity, MPs have said.
The Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efracom) says the UK is lagging behind other countries.
It urges the government to look beyond its existing 5% target for biofuels in road transport, and promote bioenergy for heating homes and aviation.
However, it says that wide adoption of currently available biofuels could have serious consequences for wildlife.
The government's target, announced last year in response to a European directive, is to have 5% of road transport fuelled by bioethanol and biodiesel by 2010.
Last year, Efracom says, the figure was 0.25%; in 2003, France and Germany combined produced 100 times more biofuel than Britain.
"The government has got to show a much greater commitment, coherence and enthusiasm in the way it develops its bioenergy policies," said Efracom chairman, Michael Jack MP.
"For a nation that prides itself on its international leadership role on the climate change agenda, it's not acceptable for Britain to lag behind so many other countries in the way that it is embracing bioenergy."
Biofuels made from crops such as wheat and rape are currently the most viable alternative to conventional petrol and diesel for road transport.
Like other bioenergy crops, their adoption would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere when they burn, but absorb it as they grow.
But land for growing them could quickly become scarce, Efracom concludes. Moving beyond the existing 5% target for road transport would, it says, have "serious land use implications".
The diversity of plants and animals would also be threatened.
The committee suggests that if the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, biofuels for transport may not be the best option.
Using the same land to grow plants which would be burned to produce heat or electricity or both could yield better returns, it feels.
How biomass works
:: One possible use of biomass fuel is in power plants using a process such as the one shown above, the Combined Cycle
:: The fuel is turned into hot pressurised combustion gases, which are cleaned to prevent corrosion of the system
:: The clean gases are then burned with air before entering a turbine, generating electricity
:: Heat from the gases is recovered after the gas turbine using water in the heat exchanger
:: The combustion gases can then usually be vented from a stack without further cleaning
:: The only other by-product is non-toxic ash, which could, for example, be mixed with compost to help grow more biomass fuel
Last year, a government-commissioned Biomass Task Force said biomass could provide 7% of Britain's heat by 2015. But the energy review published in July refrained from setting targets for its take-up.
The UK's non-food crops
Biofuels - oilseed rape, wheat, barley, sugar beet
Energy crops - willow, miscanthus
Biopolymers - linseed, high erucic acid rape, cereals
Biolubricants - crambe,
Pharmaceuticals - borage, crambe, poppy, echium, chamomile
Construction - hemp
The report is optimistic too about "second generation" technologies which could take organic waste such as wood chips, chicken litter, or straw and either burn them or convert them into other fuels.
It notes with particular interest that kerosene could be produced this way for use in aviation, currently the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Efracom concludes the government is not doing enough in these areas.
"Policy... amounts to disjointed piecemeal incentives, allowances and grant schemes," it says.
"The lack of ambition... by the government calls into question its whole commitment to the domestic climate change agenda."
[Entry ends here].
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home