Incentives for ‘sustainable’ biomass

My digression, lack of management. Where sustainable forest management is not practiced or where natural forests are damaged by human intervention, unsustainable forestry occurs, which the EU is fighting against, and therefore, the Republic of Croatia should. 

Yesterday in the presidential debate, Trump touched on just that.

"The forest floor is full of trees, dead trees left there for years and everything else. If you throw a cigarette inside, the whole forest burns down. Every year they call me California burns. If it was cleared, if you had forest management, good forest management, you wouldn't get those calls. "

Trump compared the situation in California, where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by fires, to a Europe where they properly manage forest assets. "In Europe, people live in cities that are literally in the woods, maintaining their forest, managing their forest. There should be no such problem. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of land can't just burn to ashes every year. It's burning for lack of management."

In this part, I completely agree with President Trump. In recent years, we have extinguished fires in the Republic of Croatia due to the biomass left after pruning, illegal dumps and thrown glass that caused it, (not to mention arsonists who are the subject of some other texts and institutions).

All of us should aim to manage and use forest land in a way and speed that maintains their productivity, biodiversity, productivity, regenerative capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill relevant environmental, economic and social functions at local, national and European level now and in the future. level without causing damage to other ecosystems. Zeljko Serdar, CCRES

Moja digresija, nedostatak upravljanja. Tamo gdje se održivo gospodarenje šumama ne prakticira ili gdje su prirodne šume oštećene ljudskom intervencijom, dolazi do neodrživog šumarstva protiv čega se bori EU, a samim time, trebala bi i Republika Hrvatska. Jučer u predsjedničkoj debati Trump se dotakao upravo toga. 

"Šumska su tla krcata drvećem, mrtvim stablima ostavljenim tamo godinama i svime ostalim. Baciš li cigaretu unutra, cijela šuma izgori. Svake godine kad me nazovu Kalifornija gori. Da je to očišćeno, da imate gospodarenje šumama, dobro upravljanje šumama, ne biste dobivali te pozive." 

Trump je usporedio situaciju u Kaliforniji, gdje su stotine tisuća ljudi raseljene zbog požara, s Europom u kojoj pravilno upravljaju šumskim dobrom. "U Europi ljudi žive u gradovima koji su doslovno u šumama, održavaju svoju šumu, upravljaju svojom šumom. Ne bi trebao postojati taj problem. Ne može svake godine stotine tisuća hektara zemlje samo izgorjeti do pepela.To gori zbog nedostatka upravljanja." 

U ovome dijelu u potpunosti se slažem s predsjednikom Trumpom. Prošlih godina gasili smo požare po RH zbog ostavljene biomase nakon obrezivanja, divljih deponija i bačenog stakla koje ga je prouzročilo, (da ne spominjem piromane koji su tema za neke druge tekstove i ustanove).

Svima nama cilj bi trebao biti upravljanje i korištenje šumskih zemljišta na način i brzinom koja održava njihovu produktivnost, biološku raznolikost, produktivnost, sposobnost regeneracije, vitalnost i njihov potencijal da sada i u budućnosti ispunjavaju relevantne ekološke, ekonomske i socijalne funkcije na lokalnoj, nacionalnoj i Europskoj razini, a da to ne uzrokuje štetu drugim ekosustavima. I to je to. Željko Serdar, HCOIE    

While recognising the positive role of forests in mitigating global warming, the European Commission has riled the agroforestry and biomass industries by stating its intention of limiting growth in the sector.Will the EU impose a cap on the number of trees that can be felled in Europe each year? Judging by the Commission’s 2030 climate plan, presented last week, this is now looking like a distinct possibility.The capacity of forests to act as a “carbon sink” – absorbing more CO2 than they emit – is decreasing and needs to be reversed, the Commission said in its new climate plan for 2030. The EU executive argues that “we need a growing sink in order for the EU to achieve climate neutrality by 2050” and calls for improved forest management as well as “re- and afforestation” initiatives to restore degraded land and preserve biodiversity. “We really have to take care of our forests,” said Frans Timmermans, the EU executive vice-president in charge of climate action. “We need to make sure our forests stay healthy and this is going to be a momentous task,” he told journalists. Forest owners wouldn’t contradict the Commission on this point. Time and again, they have highlighted the role of “sustainable forest management practices” in environmental conservation and how those can support the EU’s biodiversity and climate objectives. However, they say the Commission’s 2030 climate plan places too much emphasis on the role of forests as carbon sinks. “This approach is rather unfortunate as it omits two other major climate benefits provided by forests: carbon storage in EU forests and wood products and carbon substitution with wood replacing fossil-based products and energy,” said Fanny-Pomme Langue, secretary-general of the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF).

For forest owners, the key is to maintain forests as “productive” economic tools providing them with the revenues necessary to take care of their land. And that implies thinning, harvesting and replanting trees as part of “active” forest management practices. “Forest owners are custodians of forests’ future and their focus is to maintain productive, healthy and vital ecosystems,” said Sven-Erik Hammar, board member of CEPF. This was the view espoused by the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, which backed a report earlier this month charting “the way forward” for the EU’s upcoming forest strategy, expected to be published in the coming months.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, seemed to acknowledge the role forests can play for the climate. In her state of the union speech last week, she said Europe’s buildings could be turned “from a carbon source into a carbon sink if organic materials like wood” are being used. Because trees absorb CO2 as they grow, harvesting them to make wood products is indeed considered as a “climate positive” economic activity which sequesters carbon in the form of furniture or building materials. More controversial however is when wood is burned in biomass plants to produce electricity, or as a way of heating people’s homes. Critics say burning wood immediately releases CO2 which took years or even decades to accumulate during the tree’s growth phase. This, they argue, creates a “carbon debt” for future generations until new trees can grow back and suck an equivalent amount of CO2. And since time is running out to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 2°C, they argue urgent action must be taken now to prevent a further increase in biomass burning for energy generation. The European Commission seemed to pay heed to those concerns when it placed the emphasis on the need to restore carbon sinks in Europe.

“Projected increases in bioenergy use by 2030 are limited compared to today,” the Commission pointed out in its 2030 climate plan, guarding against any “further increases in harvesting” that could see the EU’s carbon sink decline further. “Any unsustainable intensification of forest harvesting for bioenergy purposes should be avoided,” the EU executive warned, saying “the use of whole trees and food and feed crops for energy production – produced in the EU or imported – should be minimised” in order to limit the impact on climate and biodiversity. Bioenergy producers dispute this, saying “active forest management” practices “will optimise the carbon flow” and promote carbon sinks in addition to providing much-needed jobs and economic activity for rural areas. “It is important to stress that bioenergy is not a driving force of forest harvesting,” said Bioenergy Europe, a trade association. In fact, forest cover in the EU increased by 5.8% in 1995-2015 while bioenergy consumption “more than doubled” during the same period, it points out. “The increase in bioenergy has been possible thanks to a better use of residues from the forest-based industries and increased synergies with the wood-based industry,” said Jean-Marc Jossart, secretary-general of Bioenergy Europe.

Importantly, Jossart said a distinction should be made between “carbon sinks” – the capacity of forests to capture carbon – and the “carbon stock”, which is the total amount of carbon stored in the forest at a certain moment in time. “A forest management based on maximising the carbon stock will not deliver efficiently against climate change because of maturation of trees and carbon losses” due to fires and insects, which are becoming more frequent because of climate change, he argued. In reality, “a better managed forest reduces the risks of forest fires as there will be less dead wood on the ground helping the propagation of fire,” Jossart told EURACTIV in emailed comments, saying landowners need to be incentivised to take care of their land. “Planting, thinning, harvesting and replanting are part of virtuous operations of climate-friendly forests, as well as taking infected trees out of the forests,” he said. 

The Commission doesn’t deny this, saying “the promotion of sustainable forest management” combined with strict enforcement of EU green criteria for biomass will help make the sector more sustainable. But it wants guarantees that biomass used in Europe is genuinely sustainable. Although it keeps the door open to bioenergies in general, the Commission’s 2030 climate plan says “a shift towards growing woody biomass,” and “advanced biogas and biofuels could alleviate the situation” and help restore healthy forests. “Bioenergy production should come from better use of biomass wastes and residues and sustainable cultivation of energy crops, rather replacing the production of first-generation food-crop-based biofuels,” the EU executive says. If those solutions are implemented swiftly in the coming years, “this could already reverse the current trend of a diminishing EU land carbon sink by 2030, increasing it again to levels above 300 million tons CO2eq,” it adds.

By the end of the year, the Commission is expected to publish an extensive review of biomass policies. And much of the debate from now on is expected to focus on the incentives that are needed to support sustainable forestry practices and carbon removals.

“Definitely, we want to recognise the removals that are being done in agriculture and forestry more strongly than what we did in the past,” said a senior EU official who was briefing journalists after the Commission presented its 2030 climate plan last week.

“That will require incentives for those who are responsible – and that’s the farmers and the foresters,” the official said.

In Germany, the government is currently debating a “tree premium” of €125 per hectare as a way to reward forest owners for reducing carbon emissions. The premiums would be linked to the EU carbon market, meaning that if CO2 prices rise, the tree premium would also increase.

Another option is to bring agriculture under an EU regulation dealing with land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF).

“For somebody who is responsible for agriculture and forestry, it’s probably much easier to handle that as a policy field and to make the right trade-offs within the sector,” the official explained, saying any EU proposal on the matter would need to be backed by a cost-benefit analysis and fall in line with the Common Agricultural Policy.

For the bioenergy sector, incentives are fine as long as they allow foresters to “actively manage their forests through planting, thinning, harvesting and replanting”.

“If conversely, these subsidies are there to leave the forests untouched, this will have the adverse effects of reducing their resilience,” it argues.

CCRES - BIOMASS

 

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 

(CCRES)

 

 BIOMASS

 

The organic or waste materials obtained from the plants and animals, is known as biomass. Since plants and animals contain energy, the biomass also contains energy. Plants get energy from the sun by the process of photosynthesis, while the animals eat plants; hence biomass is an important source of energy.

The energy obtained from biomass is called as biomass energy. The biomass energy is type of alternative or renewable energy since the plants and trees will keep on growing and generating the wastes continuously, so this source of energy will be available for unlimited period of time.

The various types of garbage collected in our cities are also a type of biomass. Though the living plants are not considered to be the biomass, the garbage left by them in the form of fallen leaves, dead trees, broken branches of the trees, wasted and leftover crops, chips and pieces of wood etc are all considered to be biomass. The bark and saw dust left from the lumber mills and even the tires and livestock manure can be considered as biomass.

The trash from the house and offices contains some paper products that cannot be recycled back to the other paper products but they can also be used as the biomass. Recycling such wastes for producing biomass fuel would reduce pressure on our landfills. It is unbelievable that all these materials that create lots of disposal problems can be used to generate energy that too in the form of electricity.

In US, California itself produces almost 60 million bone dry tons of biomass every year, of which almost five million tons is used to produce biomass energy in the form of electricity. The biomass collected in California comprises of lumber mills wastes, wooden waste collected from urban areas, residues from the agricultural lands and forests, and other livestock.

The wastes generated by the humans and animals like cows are also types of biomass. By using this type of biomass for producing energy it becomes easier to manage and control the landfills.

Biomass used as the Source of Energy

All the types of biomass contain one or the types of plants and animals wastes. When the biomass obtained from plants it is burnt it catches fire instantly or after some time and releases a lot of heat. During burning the chemical energy stored within the biomass is converted into heat energy. The heat produced during the burning of biomass can be used for a number of applications like heating water, heating the rooms, producing steam, cooking the food, and for other domestic and industrial applications.

Some decomposing garbage, and wastes from humans and animals can also be used as biomass to produce methane gas, which can be used directly as the fuel. Methane is an important part of natural gas, which is used extensively as a cooking gas and also for running a number of vehicles like cars and trucks. The methane gas obtained by this method is also called as the landfill gas or biogas.

The Fuels Obtained from Biomass

Besides using the biomass for producing heat, it can also be used to produce fuels. The fuels produced from the biomass are called as biofuels. The biofuels can be used independently to or in combination with the other fuels like gasoline and diesel. Some of the popular biofuels made from the biomass are ethanol, biodiesel and natural gas.

Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugar which can be found in sugarcane, grains like corn, sorghum and wheat, and other sources like potato skins, rice, sugar beets and yard clippings. The biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oil and animal fat feedstock. In this age of escalating fuel prices, biodiesel is one of the most popular types of alternative fuel for the vehicles. Biodiesel is mixed with traditional diesel in certain proportions to power the vehicles. The biodiesel is a clean fuel and does not produce any pollution. The natural gas can be obtained from the biomass like cow dung, human wastes, and livestock wastes. Methane, which is important part of the natural gas, is produced from the biomass.

Benefits of Using the Biomass Energy

Here are some of the important benefits of biomass energy:

1) Biomass energy is obtained mainly from the plants, animals, human wastes and garbage which would have otherwise created dirty environment and lots of disposal problems. When converted to biomass energy most of the wastes get burnt completely or they get converted to useful manure. Thus using biomass energy helps keeping our surroundings clean.

2) Biomass is a renewable source of energy that would last as long as there is plant, animal, and human life on the earth.

3) Biomass helps producing indigenous fuels and helps reducing dependency for fuels on other countries. 

CCRES 

special thanks to   

Escapeartist, Inc

 CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 

(CCRES)

Biomass CCRES

Biomass to bioenergy

Biomass refers to renewable energy coming from biological material such as trees, plants, manure, and sometimes waste. Using various transformation processes such as combustion, gasification, pyrolysis the biomass is either transformed into biofuels, bioheat or bioelectricity and used for energetic purposes.

In the Renewable energy directive (2009/28/EC) biomass is defined as follows: "Biomass means the biodegradable fraction of products, wastes and residues from biological origin from agriculture (including vegetable and animal substances), forestry and related industries including fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste".

Biomass is the fourth largest energy source in the world after coal, oil and natural gas – and is the largest and most important renewable energy option at present and can be used to produce different forms of energy, thus providing all the energy services required by the society.

Wood is the oldest form of biomass known to mankind. For centuries wood was used for heating, cooking and industrial purposes. In the developing world wood is still used for the same reasons. In the 18th and 19th centuries, wood was gradually replaced by cheap fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) which were easy to handle and had higher energy density. Nowadays there is a growing interest in bioenergy which can be used in an efficient way using modern technologies for the production of heat, electricity and transportation fuels. Biomass, used in a sustainable manner, is a regenerative source of energy.

Biomass originates from forest, agricultural and waste streams.

1. Forest and wood-based industries produce wood which is the largest ressource of solid biomass. Biomass procurement logistics from forest to bioenergy plants are subject to major improvements. The sector covers a wide range of different biofuels with different characteristics – wood logs, bark, wood chips, sawdust and more recently pellets. Pellets, due to their high energy density and standardised characteristics, offer great opportunities for developing the bioenergy market worldwide.
2. Agriculture can provide dedicated energy crops as well as by-products in the form of animal manure and straw. Available land can be used for growing conventional crops such as rape, wheat, maize etc. for energy purposes or for cultivating new types of crops such as poplar, willow, miscanthus and others.
3. Biodegradable waste is the biomass that can cover several forms of waste such as organic fraction of municipal solid waste, wood waste, refuse-derived fuels, sewage sludge, etc.

Each biomass resource has different characteristics in terms of calorific value, moisture and ash content, etc. that requires appropriate conversion technologies for bioenergy production. These conversion routes use chemical, thermal and/or biological processes. Finally biomass/bioenergy can be classified according to its end use as follows:

Biomass for heat production

Heat production: Combustion of solid biomass of wood for heat production is the main bioenergy route in the world, with a constant drive for improved efficiency and reduced pollutant emissions. Several systems can be considered, depending on the size. Small-scale heating systems for households typically use firewood or pellets. Medium-scale users typically burn wood chips in grate boilers while large-scale boilers are able to burn a larger variety of fuels, including wood waste and refuse-derived fuel. Heat can also be produced on a medium or large scale through cogeneration which provides heat for industrial processes in the form of steam and can supply district heat networks.

Biomass for electricity production

Electricity: Combustion followed by a water vapor cycle is the main technology for the time being but new technologies are emerging such as ORC-plants. Co-combustion of biomass and coal is also under implementation by electric utilities. Biogas from anaerobic digestion is mainly used on site for cogeneration applications. The solid and liquid residues from the process are often used as fertilisers on farm land.

More info: solarserdar@gmail.com

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

CCRES promotes BIOFUELS

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY

promotes

Biofuels

From the earliest days of internal-combustion engines, technological visionaries dreamed that engines would run on fuel made from plants. Experiments conducted in the 19th century showed that it was possible, and both Henry Ford and Rudolf Diesel supported the notion. Interest has waxed and waned for decades. These days, it is running high once again, and the fuels have acquired a modern moniker: biofuels.

While the geopolitical and environmental risks of oil dependency may be obvious today, it was not always so. In the early days of motorized transport, fuels derived from plants lost out to fuels refined from crude oil, which could be obtained cheaply in many parts of the world just by poking holes in the ground. Not only were gasoline and diesel the cheapest fuels for many decades, but they are about as energy-dense as liquids can be, which makes them superb choices for carrying vehicles long distances. Replacing them will not be easy, and the struggle to do so has produced some of the most intense controversies of modern society.

In the search for replacements, biofuels have attained the greatest political momentum, in part because they promise lucrative new markets for farm products. In the United States, Congress had adopted extensive mandates and subsidies to get a biofuels industry off the ground, and other countries have also adopted renewable-fuel policies.

But first-generation biofuels -- chiefly, ethanol made from corn or sugar cane, or biodiesel made from vegetable oil -- have provoked intense backlash. In principle, biofuels offer a huge advantage over fossil fuels. The source plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air as they are growing, and consequently, the carbon dioxide that is released when biofuels are burned does not represent a net addition of that greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. In practice, some fossil fuels, especially natural gas, are consumed in refining today's biofuels, one source of controversy about them.

In addition, an ever larger portion of the world’s crops is being diverted for biofuels, as developed countries pass laws mandating greater use of nonfossil fuels and as emerging powerhouses like China seek new sources of energy. But with food prices rising sharply in early 2011, many experts began to call on countries to scale back their headlong rush into green fuel development, arguing that the combination of ambitious biofuel targets and mediocre harvests of some crucial crops is contributing to high prices, hunger and political instability.

Many scientists believe second-generation biofuels made from plant wastes, or from crops specially grown for the purpose on land not suitable for food production, offer greater promise than the biofuels being produced today. But the technology to make these newer fuels is in its infancy and the claims of its advocates have yet to be proved.

Ethanol

There has been heated debate about whether carbon emissions from ethanol production and use are lower than those from oil and whether the 33 percent of the U.S. corn crop diverted to ethanol drives up the price of food. Local effects of ethanol production, however, including water pollution and consumption, have received less scrutiny.

Encouraged by legislative measures, including notably the 2007 Energy Security and Independence Act, which mandated the use of 36 billion gallons, or 136 billion liters, of biofuels annually by 2022, the U.S. ethanol industry has boomed in the last few years. There are now at least 200 ethanol plants in at least 27 states, almost all using corn as a feedstock.

Nearly all the gasoline sold in the United States today is mixed with 10 percent ethanol, known as E10. Because ethanol provides about two-thirds the energy content of oil per unit, that 10 percent volumetric replacement equals about a 6 to 7 percent gasoline displacement, minus fossil fuel inputs for growing and processing.

The industry is on track to produce 12.5 billion gallons this year and is therefore nearing market saturation to supply E10, as the United States consumes about 138 billion gallons of oil annually. In March 2009, Growth Energy petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to grant a waiver to allow gasoline to be blended with 15 percent ethanol. Because the fuel can corrode conventional car engines at higher percentages, the agency is running tests. A final ruling has been pushed to the fall of 2010.

Corn farming is the biggest source of pollution associated with ethanol production. Corn requires vastly more fertilizer and pesticides than soybeans or other potential biofuel feedstocks, such as perennial grasses, according to a 2007 report from the National Academy of Sciences.

Fertilizer and pesticide runoffs from the U.S. Corn Belt are key contributors to “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast. A 2008 study by independent researchers, published in the academy’s Proceedings journal, calculated that increasing corn production to meet the 2007 renewable fuels target would add to nitrogen pollution in the Gulf of Mexico by 10 to 34 percent.

Water use for ethanol also concerns scientists, particularly in light of a 2003 U.S. Government Accountability Office report that found that water managers in at least 36 states expect shortages by 2013.

Modern plants use about three gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. The National Academy of Sciences report estimated that a plant producing 100 million gallons a year uses as much water as a town of 5,000 people.

Reflecting environmental concerns over the expansion of biofuel crops, the 2007 energy bill called for 20 billion gallons of biofuel to be made from “advanced” feedstocks, such as cellulosic ethanol or algae, which are believed to have a lighter environmental footprint.

But there are no commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol or algae plants operating in the United States, mainly because they are not yet competitive on costs. U.S.D.A. projections show corn as the primary feedstock for U.S. ethanol production through 2020.


Biomass

Biomass power — a $1 billion industry in the United States, according to the Biomass Power Association, a trade group based in Maine — has long been considered both renewable and carbon-neutral on its most basic level.

Dozens of biomass power plants, which typically burn plant or tree matter to generate electricity, are already in operation in a variety of states, like California, Michigan and Maine. In most cases, those plants have qualified for some form of renewable energy tax incentives or other benefits, as states used them to diversify their power portfolios.

But a long-simmering debate in Massachusetts questioning the environmental benefits of biomass has culminated in new rules that will limit what sorts of projects will qualify for renewable energy incentives there. If other states — or even Congress, which is writing energy legislation of its own — follow suit, it could have wide implications for biomass developers, as well as for states trying to meet renewable energy production targets.

Ian A. Bowles, the Massachusetts secretary for energy and environmental affairs, has called for new regulations that would impose stricter standards for biomass projects seeking to qualify for state incentives. The state also plans to develop careful carbon accounting rules for biomass power, and to throw its greatest support behind plants that produce both heat and power, which are considered more efficient than ones that generate only power.

The proposed changes in Massachusetts come after a study commissioned by the state suggested that careful regulation was needed to prevent biomass development from having a negative effect on New England forests, and on the climate generally.

Industry representatives warned that the new rules could hinder efforts to meet renewable energy goals, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over all. But environmentalists welcomed the move, saying it would protect forests and foster responsible development of electricity generated with biomass materials. Many environmental groups say that the benefits of biomass power — and all forms of energy derived from organic sources, including biofuels — are realized only in carefully controlled circumstances. The cycle of carbon emission and absorption also unfolds over long periods of time that need to be carefully monitored.

By providing incentives without strict rules governing which materials are burned and how they are harvested, governments risk creating a rapacious industry that could gobble up whole forests, critics warn. That could ultimately increase the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere — one of the problems that renewable energies are supposed to address.More info at http://solarserdar.blogspot.com.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES )

CCRES wood pellet mill

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Why not in Croatia ?

wood pellet mill


Contact: http://solarserdar@gmail.com

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Contact: http://solarserdar@gmail.com

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES



Pelletpresse 7,5KW
Contact: http://solarserdar@gmail.com

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES )

CCRES - THE USAGE OF BIOMASS

CROATIAN CENTER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES



THE USAGE OF BIOMASS

Fuels, power production, heat generation which are all currently done by electricity or by direct burning of fossil fuels can all be replaced successfully by Biomass. Mentioned below are a few benefits of using biomass as a fuel.

•Biomass helps in reducing the global warming to a large extent While growing plants use and store carbon monoxide. They then release it back when they are dead or when they start decaying. By replanting new plants in the vicinity, the newly planting saplings can make use of the carbon-monoxide emitted by the decaying plants. In this way, the carbon-monoxide cycle is contained. However, if the replanting is not done adequately enough, the usage of biomass can indeed contribute to the global warming instead of decreasing it.
•The usage of biomass brings down the dependency on oils and fuels imported from other countries, saves a lot of money and time and increases a country’s or an entity’s self sufficiency.
•Biomass Industry per se directly supports the country’s agricultural departments and such like because most of the matter that eventually finds itself as biomass is usually from this sector. A sheer variety of crops and vegetable produce forms as the basis for biomass technology.

New ways of using biomass are being discovered now a days. For instance, it is used in producing ethanol which could be used in environment friendly cars.

Apart from the regular fact that the biomass fuels are renewable, clean, efficient, burn easily and are easy to produce are all strong points in favor of this new age organic fuel. Proper implementation of this technology and prudent application to everyday utilities can go long way in commercializing the future of this fuel’s future.

While it is unknown if it can fully and completely replace the more popular fossil fuel cousins or even the fuel cells and hydrogen of this world, but it is sure a secure, clean and easy way to have another alternative around. Biomass is still being tested for its feasibility as an automotive fuel, though reports have shown that it can indeed do so, it can’t be a reality until proven evidence exists.

A possible biomass future would mean that everything will begin to work, survive and exist on pure, simple waste which is found in abundance on this planet. Talk about abundance, reliability and access nothing can beat biomass and the biomass technology. Even more popular sources like solar and nuclear power sources do not stand a chance if the true power of the biomass technology is unleashed.

CROATIAN CENTER OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES )

BIOMASS HEATING by CCRES

BIOMASS HEATING

Moving away from fossil fuels, we will need to find alternatives to coal, oil and gas for heating our homes and offices. One obvious solution is biomass - typically in the form of wood.

It is a renewable fuel that truly "grows on trees" and it can be produced locally and sustainably - as long as a new tree is planted for every tree that is cut down. Burning wood biomass emits CO2 through the chimney, but as growing trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere biomass can be a nearly carbon neutral source of fuel as long as trees are replanted.

Batch log boilers and pellet boilers offer more convenient and efficient ways to heat with wood fuel than traditional stoves.

To learn more about this technology, take a look at our blogs

http://solarserdar.blogspot.com/

and

http://solarserdar.wordpress.com/

Related Questions

Can I heat with pellets without using a hopper store?

It is possible to heat with pellets without having a large hopper store connected to a boiler. There are compact pellet boilers - sometimes referred to as pellet stoves with back boilers - which can be filled manually with bags of pellets.

This can be an advantage where there is no space for a hopper store, or where pellets can only be delivered in bags anyway (e.g. because there is no access for a pellet delivery truck).

Can you burn wood biomass without smoke?

Emissions from wood fuel contain virtually no sulphur dioxide and very low levels of nitrous oxides, so won’t cause acid rain. Burning wood cleanly gives off very low amounts of smoke particulates, and many wood-fired appliances are certified for smokeless zones (Defra publish a list of Smoke Control Zones).

It’s important to burn efficiently; use properly seasoned wood (with low moisture content) and make sure that equipment is used properly. Manually fed stoves can produce lots of pollutants if operated badly.

Logs should be burned fiercely with lots of air input until they are almost charcoal, after which the stove can be ‘damped down’. Reducing the air supply too early creates lots of smoke & tar. The key is good ‘secondary combustion’ of the high-energy volatile gases given off by burning wood. Some stoves are fitted with a ‘Lamda’ sensor, to regulate the amount of oxygen added and so optimise efficiency. Avoid burning treated, painted or glued wood, or non-wood waste, as these will give off toxic and polluting gases.

Building regulations require all fuel burners to have a dedicated vent to avoid production of carbon monoxide. The chimney needs an insulated flue to prevent fumes condensing as tar. With complete combustion, wood burns to a small amount of ash, which (unlike coal ash) is an excellent fertiliser.

How do I store wood biomass?

Delivered wood should be stored for at least one year, preferably two, to air-dry the wood to a moisture content below 25%. Bringing logs inside for the last week or so improves them to room dryness. Stoves might be specified to cope with 50% moisture content, but efficiency will suffer. Compressed wood pellet fuel has only about 8% moisture. Manufacturers specify pellets of a certain size, shape and moisture content to ensure reliable operation. Some pellets are produced for power station co-firing, and are not good enough quality for domestic appliances.

The required storage space depends on how big and how well-insulated your home is. A small cottage is likely to need 8 cubic metres (m3) of logs each year, a 3-bedroom house 12m3, and a large detached house 16m3. Pellets have a higher energy content and so take up less than half as much space. Stoves use 0.5 to 1.5kg of pellets per hour, so a 15kg bag should last a few days.

Larger systems can use chipped wood - this allows more automation than logs and is cheaper than pellets. A wood chip boiler heats several buildings at CAT; seasoned wood is delivered, chipped, and stored until it reaches 15% moisture content. For larger schemes, it’s a good idea to have a supply contract to ensure a reliable supply of wood.

How much will a wood biomass system cost?

A log stove is likely to cost between £500 and £1000, with installation costs probably the same again. Pellet Stoves cost £1,500 to £2,500 plus installation. A log boiler will be roughly £4,000. Together with a water storage tank, flue and installation the total will be about £10,000. Automated pellet boilers are more advanced, and so is the price tag: £6,000 to £8,000 for the boiler; the total perhaps £10,000 to £15,000.

Remember to factor in the ongoing purchase of fuel. Bought in bulk, log fuel should be cheaper than gas, oil or coal. A 15kg bag of pellets will cost £3 to £4, but bulk delivery should be similar to or less than fossil fuel. The Log Pile service (below) lists suppliers around the UK. Also, find out about the support structure in place for the equipment you choose, before going for the cheapest. Will it be easy to get the appliance serviced annually? Are there enough plumbers or engineers with the relevant knowledge?

Which wood biomass fired appliance should I choose?

Before switching to any new heating system it is vital to maximise energy efficiency. Measures such as increasing insulation, lagging pipes and draught-proofing will save money on fuel, and also on equipment - as they’ll allow you to specify a smaller boiler. A combination of wood fuel and solar water heating (for hot water in summer), can give renewably-generated heat all year round.

Open fires are a poor choice, financially and environmentally. Most of the heat goes up the chimney and the rate at which the fire draws in oxygen creates draughts across the room that reduce the benefit from the fire. A simple wood stove is a great improvement; it should need only one-third as much fuel, as the efficiency can reach 70%. Automated pellet stoves are more convenient, and can even have an automatic de-ashing function.

Advanced wood heating systems for larger houses have been common for many years in mainland Europe and the USA, and are as efficient as modern gas boilers - converting well over 80% of the fuel into useful heat.

A ‘batch’ log boiler can be fired up once a day (or less often) and the heat stored in a large water cylinder. Automated pellet boilers make wood fuel almost as convenient as gas. They are more costly, but ease of use is a big plus. For those keen on range cooking there are specially designed wood-fired ranges, with a bigger firebox to accommodate logs. Doing everything from one appliance is not ideal, so the efficiency of these is less than dedicated boilers or stoves, but they would give the satisfaction of a wood-fired sunday roast!

Why burn wood biomass?

Biomass fuels include wood, energy crops such as oilseed rape or miscanthus (‘elephant grass’), animal wastes and other agricultural by-products such as straw and grain husks. When burned, these fuels release only the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that they absorbed whilst growing - unlike the carbon in coal, oil and gas, which was absorbed over millions of years but is being released in the space of a few decades. The energy used to harvest, process and transport the fuel does need to be factored in as well. Very little energy is needed to harvest wood, so when used locally it is a very low-carbon option.

Planting trees to absorb carbon dioxide may provide temporary mitigation from climate change, but doesn’t address the fundamental problem. To meet our energy needs in a zero-carbon future we must make sustainable use of trees as fuel, and replant them as we harvest them – creating a continuous carbon cycle. Growing our own fuel also creates jobs and is ideal for strong, local economies.

Free, independent and impartial advice on renewable energy and sustainable living provided by the CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)
Željko Serdar
Head of association

RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER SOLAR SERDAR promote GREEN PRODUCT - BIOMASS (croatian text)

SOLAR serdar
RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER SOLAR SERDAR
promote
GREEN PRODUCT - BIOMASS

Biomasa (eng. biomass, njem. Biomasse) je u raznim izvornicima različito određena, ali se kao osnovna može navesti odrednica prema Uredbi o graničnim vrijednostima emisije onečišćujućih tvari u zrak iz stacionarnih izvora (NN 140/97): ‘Biomasa je gorivo koje se dobiva od biljaka ili dijelova biljaka kao što su drvo, slama, stabljike žitarica, ljušture itd.'

Biomasa je obnovljivi izvor energije, a općenito se može podijeliti na drvnu, nedrvnu i životinjski otpad, unutar čega se mogu razlikovati:

drvna biomasa (ostaci iz šumarstva, otpadno drvo)
drvna uzgojena biomasa (brzorastuće drveće)
nedrvna uzgojena biomasa (brzorastuće alge i trave)
ostaci i otpaci iz poljoprivrede
životinjski otpad i ostaci.
Danas se primjena biomase za proizvodnju energije potiče uvažavajući načelo održivog razvoja. Najčešće se koristi drvna masa koja je nastala kao sporedni proizvod ili otpad te ostaci koji se ne mogu više iskoristiti. Takva se biomasa koristi kao gorivo u postrojenjima za proizvodnju električne i toplinske energije ili se prerađuje u plinovita i tekuća goriva za primjenu u vozilima i kućanstvima. Postoje razne procjene potencijala i uloge biomase u globalnoj energetskoj politici u budućnosti, no u svim se scenarijima predviđa njezin značajan porast i bitno važnija uloga .Za usporedbu može poslužiti podatak kako je 1990. godine potrošnja energije u svijetu iznosila 376,8 EJ, a 2050. godine se prema raznim scenarijima očekuje potrošnja od 586 do 837 EJ.
Više informacija na www.solar-serdar.com

BIODIZEL
Metilni ester repičinog ulja , poznatiji pod trgovačkim nazivom biodizel, dobiva se od ulja uljane repice ili recikliranog otpadnog jestivog ulja. Kemijski se opisuje kao monoalkoholni ester. Kroz proces esterifikacije, biljno ulje reagira s metanolom i natrijevim hidroksidom kao katalizatorom te nastaje ester masnih kiselina zajedno s ostalim nusproduktima: glicerolom, gliceridskim talogom i sapunom. Biodizel pripada skupini derivata srednje dugih, C 16 - C 18 lančanih masnih kiselina. Te molekule pokazuju strukturnu sličnost s molekulama mineralnog dizelskog goriva.

Biodizel je gorivo za motorna vozila koje se dobiva od repičinog ulja ili drugih biljnih ulja esterifikacijom s metanolom. Pri tome nastaje gorivo koje ima svojstva jednaka onima klasičnog dizela iz mineralnog ulja. Može se koristiti u potpunosti kao zamjena za mineralni dizel ili kao smjesa s njim u različitim omjerima. Visoka mazivost biodizela u usporedbi s mineralnim uzrokuje manje trošenje klipova, brtvenih prstenova, stijenki cilindara i preciznih dijelova crpke za ubrizgavanje. Pri primjeni ponajviše treba na umu imati sljedeća osnovna svojstva:

biodizel se može primijeniti gotovo u svakom dizelskom motoru, pri čemu za sam pogon vozilo ne zahtijeva nikakve izmjene
cijevi za gorivo i za povrat goriva iz crpke te brtve koje dolaze u dodir s gorivom treba zamijeniti materijalima prikladnima za biodizel kao što je fluor-kaučuk (trgovački naziv Viton), poznat i kao FPM-ECO-ECO, jer agensi u biodizelu, pogotovo pri povišenoj temperaturi, u roku od 6 do 10 mjeseci mogu uzrokovati propuštanje cijevi
biodizel je agresivan prema laku za karoserije pa pri ulijevanju goriva treba odmah obrisati poškropljene površine
ako se prethodno koristilo samo konvencionalno dizelsko gorivo, nakon prvih 1 do 2 punjenja spremnika biodizelom valja zamijeniti filtar za gorivo, zbog toga što biodizel može otopiti nečistoće zadržane u njemu
u pojedinim slučajevima može doći do razrjeđivanja motornog ulja i to kada je motor dulje vrijeme bio vožen samo s malim opterećenjem jer kao i kod konvencionalnog dizela, dolazi do prodora neizgorenog goriva u motorno ulje te slijedi razrjeđivanje, a tada treba skratiti rokove za izmjenu ulja koje proizvođač inače preporučuje
moguće je smanjenje snage motora za 3 do 5%, što povlači i proporcionalni porast potrošnje goriva
biodizel je bez aditiva zimi prikladan za primjenu na temperaturama ne nižima od -8 °C.
Više informacija na http://solarserdar.blogspot.com/

BIOPLIN
Bioplin (eng. biogas, njem. Biogas) nastaje procesom anaerobnog truljenja biomase i najčešće se sastoji od oko 60% metana, 35% CO 2 te 5% smjese vodika, dušika, amonijaka, sumporovodika, CO, kisika i vodene pare. Dobiveni se bioplin najčešće koristi za dobivanje toplinske i/ili električne energije izgaranjem u kotlovima, plinskim motorima ili turbinama.

Njegova su svojstva kao goriva u uskoj vezi s udjelom metana. Ogrjevna je vrijednost izravno proporcionalna količini metana, a zbog ugljičnog dioksida manja je količina zraka potrebnog za izgaranje. Ogrjevna vrijednost bioplina kreće se od 25 do 26 MJ/m 3 normnom. Više informacija na http://solarserdar.wordpress.com/

ALKOHOLNA GORIVA
Etanol se može proizvoditi od tri osnovne vrste biomase:

šećera (od šećerne trske, melase)
škroba (od kukuruza)
celuloze (od drva, poljoprivrednih ostataka).
Sirovine bogate šećerima vrlo su pogodne za proizvodnju etanola, budući da već sadržavaju jednostavne šećere glukozu i fruktozu koji mogu fermentirati izravno u etanol. Sirovine bogate škrobom sadržavaju velike molekule ugljikovodika koje treba razložiti na jednostavne šećere procesom saharifikacije. To zahtijeva još jednu fazu u procesu proizvodnje što povećava troškove. Ugljikovodici u sirovinama bogatim celulozom sastavljeni su od još većih molekula i trebaju se konvertirati u šećere koji mogu fermentirati kiselom ili enzimatskom hidrolizom. Najznačajnije biljne vrste koje se uzgajaju za proizvodnju etanola su šećerna trska, slatki sirak, cassava i kukuruz.

Osnovne faze u procesu proizvodnje etanola su:

priprema sirovine
fermentacija
destilacija etanola.
Priprema sirovine je zapravo hidroliza molekula škroba enzimima u šećer koji može fermentirati. Uobičajena tehnologija za proizvodnju etanola je fermentacija u peći s običnim kvascem za proizvodnju 8 do 10%-tnog alkohola nakon 24 do 72 h fermentacije. Nakon toga slijedi destilacija tog alkohola u nekoliko faza čime se dobiva 95%-tni etanol. Za proizvodnju posve čistog etanola, kakav se koristi za miješanje s benzinom, dodaje se benzen i nastavlja destilacija te se dobiva 99,8%-tni etanol.

Vodeća zemlja u proizvodnji i primjeni etanola za vozila je Brazil, u kojem se svake godine proizvede više od 15 milijardi l. Oko 15% brazilskih vozila se kreće na čisti etanol, dok preostala koriste 20%-tnu smjesu s benzinom. Etanol se počeo proizvoditi kako bi se smanjila brazilska ovisnost o inozemnoj nafti i otvorilo dodatno tržište domaćim proizvođačima šećera. U SAD-u etanolske smejse čine oko 9% ukupne godišnje prodaje benzina i pretpostavlja se kako su američka vozila od 1979. godine do danas prešla približno 3 trilijuna km koristeći etanolske smjese.
Za proizvodnju metanola mogu se koristiti sirovine s visokim udjelom celuloze kao što je drvo i neki ostaci iz poljoprivrede. Tehnologija je posve različita od one za proizvodnju etanola. Proizvodnja se odvija u dvije faze. U prvoj se sirovina konvertira u plinoviti međuproizvod iz kojeg se sintetizira metanol. Faza sinteze metanola je dobro poznata i komercijalno dokazana, dok je faza rasplinjavanja još u razvoju. Takva istraživanja se provode u zemljama s velikim drvnim potencijalom kao što su Švedska i Brazil, a primjena takvih postrojenja se očekuje uskoro.

Po mnogim su svojstvima etanol i metanol vrlo slični benzinu. Etanol se može koristiti u motorima s unutarnjim izgaranjem uz dodavanje benzinu ili kao njegova potpuna zamjena. Za dodavanje do 20% etanola u benzin nisu potrebne nikakve preinake ni zahvati na motoru, dok za dodavanje većeg udjela ili za pogon samo na etanol treba djelomično modificirati motor što poskupljuje cijenu takvih vozila za oko 5 do 10%. Slično kao etanol, metanol se može koristiti kao dodatak benzinu ili kao posebno gorivo. Zbog ponešto drukčijeg načina izgaranja nego benzin mogu se pojaviti određene poteškoće koje se rješavaju dodavanjem određenih dodataka. Više informacija na http://solarserdarblogspot.com/

DRVNA MASA
Osnovne su značajke pri primjeni šumske ili drvne biomase kao energenta jednake kao kod svakog goriva:

kemijski sastav
ogrjevna vrijednost (ogrjevnost)
temperatura samozapaljenja
temperatura izgaranja
fizikalna svojstva koja utječu na ogrjevnost (npr. gustoća, mokrina i dr).
Temeljna veličina za proračun energije iz određene količine drva jest njegova ogrjevnost (ogrjevna vrijednost). Najveći utjecaj na nju ima mokrina (vlažnost, udio vlage), potom kemijski sastav, gustoća i zdravost drva. Za naše podneblje i vrste drveća važno je za njegovu ogrjevnost utvrditi ubraja li se ono u listače ili četinjače, odnosno u meko ili tvrdo drvo, jer je udio pojedinih sastojaka pri tome različit, a različita je i tvar koja se može koristiti kao gorivo.

Jedan od problema koji se pojavljuje pri određivanju toplinske energije dobivene iz šumske biomase predstavlja pretvorba prostornih u kubične metre. Više informacija na www.solar-serdar.com

NEDRVNA MASA
Na ogrjevne vrijednosti nedrvne biomase podjednako utječu udio vlage i pepela. Udio pepela u nedrvenim biljnim ostacima može iznositi i do 20% pa značajno utječe na ogrjevnost. Općenito, supstance koje čine pepeo nemaju nikakvu energetsku vrijednost.

Osim ostale nedrvne biomase, u Hrvatskoj bi osobitu važnost mogli imati ostaci žitarica. Iskustva iz razvijenih zemalja, u Europi osobito Danske, pokazuju kako se radi o vrijednom izvoru energije koji se ne bi trebao zanemariti. Ilustrativan je stoga sljedeći primjer. Nakon berbe kukuruza na obrađenom zemljištu ostaje kukuruzovina, stablijika s lišćem, oklasak i komušina. Budući da je prosječni odnos zrna i mase (tzv. žetveni omjer) 53% : 47%, proizlazi kako biomase približno ima koliko i zrna. Ako se razluče kukuruzovina i oklasak, tada je njihov odnos prosječno 82% : 18%, odnosno na proizvedenu 1 t zrna kukuruza dobiva se i 0,89 t biomase kukuruza što čine 0,71 t kukuruzovine i 0,18 t oklaska. Iako je neosporno kako se nastala biomasa mora prvenstveno vraćati u zemlju, preporučuje se zaoravanje između 30 i 50% te mase, što znači da za energetsku primjenu ostaje najmanje 30%.

HRVATSKI CENTAR OBNOVLJIVIH IZVORA ENERGIJE
SOLAR SERDAR

Željko Serdar
Voditelj poslovnog udruželja
solarserdar@gmail.com
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