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Energy crops take a roasting
May 22, 2008A process used to roast coffee beans could give Britain's biomass a power boost, increasing the energy content of some of the UK's leading energy crops by up to 20 per cent.
The study, carried out by engineers from the University of Leeds, examined the combustion behaviour of crops grown specifically for energy creation when put through a mild thermal process called 'torrefaction' - more usually associated with coffee production.
Torrefaction is increasingly seen as a desirable treatment for biomass because it creates a solid product which is easier to store, transport and mill than raw biomass.
The study examined the energy crops willow, canary grass and agricultural residue wheat straw to see what happened when they went through the torrefaction process and how they behaved at a range of temperatures when they were heated to create an energy-enhanced fuel.
Results showed that the treated materials needed less time and energy to heat to burning point, and also that they offered increased energy yields upon burning.
Willow emerged as having the most favourable properties, in that it retained more of its mass in the torrefaction process and also performed best in terms of its energy yield. As an example, willow was shown to have an 86 per cent energy yield, compared with 77 per cent for wheat straw and 78 per cent for reed canary grass.
"Raw biomass takes up a lot of space and has a low energy density which makes it costly - environmentally and economically - to transport. Plus you need more of it than say, coal, to produce energy efficiently," says Professor Jenny Jones who worked on this study with PhD student Toby Bridgeman.
"Torrefaction is not currently used in the UK in either the agricultural or the energy sectors," says Bridgeman. "But our paper shows that it has a lot of benefits, besides those to do with fuel handling, so we feel it's definitely something we'd like to explore further."
This research was supported by the Supergen Bioenergy Consortium, an initiative created by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of its commitment to funding research which will help the UK reach EU targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions and increased use of renewable energy.
University of Leeds
The study examined the energy crops willow, canary grass and agricultural residue wheat straw to see what happened when they went through the torrefaction process and how they behaved at a range of temperatures when they were heated to create an energy-enhanced fuel.
Results showed that the treated materials needed less time and energy to heat to burning point, and also that they offered increased energy yields upon burning.
Willow emerged as having the most favourable properties, in that it retained more of its mass in the torrefaction process and also performed best in terms of its energy yield. As an example, willow was shown to have an 86 per cent energy yield, compared with 77 per cent for wheat straw and 78 per cent for reed canary grass.
"Raw biomass takes up a lot of space and has a low energy density which makes it costly - environmentally and economically - to transport. Plus you need more of it than say, coal, to produce energy efficiently," says Professor Jenny Jones who worked on this study with PhD student Toby Bridgeman.
"Torrefaction is not currently used in the UK in either the agricultural or the energy sectors," says Bridgeman. "But our paper shows that it has a lot of benefits, besides those to do with fuel handling, so we feel it's definitely something we'd like to explore further."
This research was supported by the Supergen Bioenergy Consortium, an initiative created by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of its commitment to funding research which will help the UK reach EU targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions and increased use of renewable energy.
University of Leeds
Energy Crops Current Events and Energy Crops News RSSAnti-biotech groups obstruct forest biotechnology
The potential of forest biotechnology to help address significant social and environmental issues is being "strangled at birth" by the rigid opposition of some groups and regulations that effectively preclude even the testing of genetically modified trees, scientists argue in a new report.
GEN reports on alternative feedstocks for ethanol production
Scientists say they are forging ahead in developing replacements for petrochemical fuels that will be cost-competitive and renewable while having a minimal impact on the environment, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN).
ISU researcher identifies genetic pathway responsible for much of plant growth
Researchers at Iowa State University have discovered a previously unknown pathway in plant cells that regulates plant growth.
Will Large Amounts of Soil Carbon be Released to the Atmosphere if Grasslands are Converted to Energy Crops?
Grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the United States may be increasingly converted to growing bioenergy grain crops.
Biofuels can provide viable, sustainable solution to reducing petroleum dependence
An in-depth study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors Corp. has found that plant and forestry waste and dedicated energy crops could sustainably replace nearly a third of gasoline use by the year 2030.
'Green' Gasoline on the Horizon
University of Oklahoma researchers believe newer, more environmentally friendly fuels produced from biomass could create alternative energy solutions and alleviate dependence on foreign oil without requiring changes to current fuel infrastructure systems.
Major progress in technology needed for 25 percent renewable energy use to be affordable
Dramatic progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the United States desires to produce 25 percent of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs.
Abandoned farmlands are key to sustainable bioenergy
Biofuels can be a sustainable part of the world's energy future, especially if bioenergy agriculture is developed on currently abandoned or degraded agricultural lands, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution and Stanford University.
Are microbes the answer to the energy crisis?
The answer to the looming fuel crisis in the 21st century may be found by thinking small, microscopic in fact. Microscopic organisms from bacteria and cyanobacteria, to fungi to microalgae, are biological factories that are proving to efficient sources of inexpensive, environmentally friendly biofuels that can serve as alternatives to oil, according to research presented at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.
Some biofuels might do more harm than good to the environment, study finds
Biofuels based on ethanol, vegetable oil and other renewable sources are increasingly popular with government and environmentalists as a way to reduce fossil fuel dependence and limit greenhouse gas emissions.
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