Biomass Alternative Energy (4-5)

Question 1

“A ______ and biodegradable organic material originating from _____, animals and micro‐organisms. This shall also include products, by‐products, residues and waste from agriculture, forestry and related industries as well as the non‐fossilized and biodegradable organic fractions of industrial and municipal wastes.”

Answer 1

“A non‐fossilized and biodegradable organic material originating from plant, animals and micro‐organisms. This shall also include products, by‐products, residues and waste from agriculture, forestry and related industries as well as the non‐fossilized and biodegradable organic fractions of industrial and municipal wastes.”

Question 2

Biomass Balance Approach

Answer 2

1. Estimate fossil fuel effect Bfossil
2. Estimate feedstock and fossil effect Bb Bf
3. Estimate amount to replace mf
4. Estimate amount required mb
5. Estimate burdens of biomass using above notation

Bmb=Bfossil- mfBf +mbBb

Question 3

Mesophilic ____ °C
Thermophilic ____°C

Answer 3

Mesophilic 36-42 °C
Thermophilic 48-55°C

Question 4

Fermentation-Biofuel production

Answer 4

Biomass Production

Pretreatment

Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Sugar fermentation

Biofuel Production and further Processing

Question 5

Non homogeneous (________________) fuels

Answer 5

Non homogeneous (variable composition) fuels

Question 6

Issues with non homogenous fuels?

Answer 6

Produces sludge and tars that can clog equipment- difficult to clean
Lower system efficiency
Poor quality gas output
Increased maintenance

Question 7

Drax Power Station provides ___% of the UK’s renewable power

Answer 7

Drax Power Station provides 11% of the UK’s renewable power

Question 8

Can biomass be non renewable

Answer 8

yes - cutting down trees

Question 9

Sources of biomass

Answer 9

Sewage
Animal residues
Municipal solid waste
Forestry residues
Industrial residues
Agricultural residues

Question 10

How long is the CO2 rotation for forestry

Answer 10

10-30 years

Question 11

What is virgin biomass

Answer 11

From plants (aquatic and terrestrial)

Question 12

How is biomass environmentally advantageous

Answer 12

Renewable
Can be carbon negative through sequestration tech & carbon capture

Question 13

Socio economic benefits of biomass

Answer 13

Locally grown, utilized for food, sold in markets and in some cases exported
Support local communities and microeconomics (create new jobs)
Energy independence
Reduction in emissions
Less waste to handle

Question 14

Technical benefits of biomass

Answer 14

Can be used for combines heat & power plants
High-value chemicals can be produced such as cum farts
Can be used for decentralized power generation system
Can be used to store energy!

Question 15

Pelletizing steps

Answer 15

Raw material in
Screening
Drying
Cyclone separation
Conveying
Pelletization

Question 16

Biomass processing techniques

Answer 16

Direct combustion (for power and heat)
Gasification (for carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich syngas)
Pyrolysis (for biochar, gas and oils)
Anaerobic digestion (for methane-rich gas)
Oil exaction (for biodiesel)
Fermentation (of sugars for alcohols)

Question 17

Thermochemical biomass processing techniques are

Answer 17

Combustion
Gasification
Pyrolysis

Question 18

Biochemical biomass processing techniques are

Answer 18

Digestion
Fermentation
Extraction

Question 19

What is syngas

Answer 19

H2 and CO

Question 20

What are the uses of syngas

Answer 20

Hydrogen production
Engine/turbine fuel
Diesel or gasoline using Fischer‐Tropsch synthesis
Fertilizer
Methanol for chemical industry

Question 21

Pyrolysis operating temperature?

Answer 21

300-700C

Question 22

What does pyrolysis produce

Answer 22

Char, Solids- soil improver & solid fuel and liquid fuels-

Question 23

Challenges of non homogeneous fuels

Answer 23

Produces sludge and tars that can clog equipment- difficult to clean
Lower system efficiency
Poor quality gas output
Increased maintenance

Question 24

What is methanes Greenhouse gas factor compared to CO2

Answer 24

25x

Question 25

Negatives of uncontrolled digestion

Answer 25

Leachates enter into ground water

Question 26

Why is controlled digestion considered environmentally friendly

Answer 26

Reduces water leaching & soil pollution. Can produce organic fertilizer

Question 27

Steps of Digestion

Answer 27

Feedstock enters Grinding Pasteurisation Digestion Filtration/cleaning

Question 28

What are the characteristics of mesophilic digestion

Answer 28

Prone to ammonia poisoning Quicker Greater gas yields Reduces pathogens more effectively

Question 29

What catalyst is used for esterification

Answer 29

Sulfuric acid

Question 30

What catalyst is used for trans esterification

Answer 30

Alkaline

Question 31

How much quicker is Trans esterification than esterification

Answer 31

4000 times

Question 32

What type of catalyst is used to do both esterification and trans esterification in 1 step

Answer 32

bifunctional catalyst

Question 33

What is a solution to the low conversion and rates for esterification

Answer 33

Microbubble mediated mass transfer to overcome the low conversion and rate of reaction of esterification

Question 34

What are the steps of fermentation

Answer 34

1. Biomass Production 2. Pretreatment 3. Enzymatic Hydrolysis 4. Sugar fermentation 5. Biofuel Production and further Processing

Question 35

Challenges for biomass

Answer 35

Emissions Resources are limited Sustainability/traceability Logistics

Question 36

Why is biomass hard to deal with

Answer 36

Variable chemistries Variable moisture Size reduction is energy intensive Doing anything other than burning it is proving hard to do at an industrial scale

Question 37

What is alternative energy

Answer 37

Produces little or no CO2.

Question 38

Advantages of Hydroelectric

Answer 38

Cheap to operate Long life and low operating cost Renewable High yield Not intermittent (if reservoir is large enough) Reservoirs have multiple uses Minimal air pollution

Question 39

Disadvantages of Hydroelectric

Answer 39

Human population displacement breeding ground for disease Ecosystem impacts Water pollution problems

Question 40

What are the 3 types of tidal power

Answer 40

Tidal streams Barrages  Tidal lagoons

Question 41

Advantage of tidal

Answer 41

Low operating cost

Question 42

Disadvantage of tidal

Answer 42

few suitable sites Construction costs high Transmission

Question 43

Advantages of wind

Answer 43

Renewable energy Inexhaustible Not pollutant Reduces the use of fossil fuels Reduces energy imports

Question 44

Disadvantages of wind

Answer 44

Must compete with other low cost energy resources Suitable wind corridors are often remote Intermittent/requires an energy storage system Noise and Visual Aesthetics Impact Wildlife

Question 45

Types of silicon in PV cells

Answer 45

n-type and p-type n-type has deficiency of electrons

Question 46

Advantages of Solar

Answer 46

Low operating cost Affordable Diverse applications Renewable

Question 47

Advantages of geothermal

Answer 47

Renewable Available 24/7 Geothermal power plants use low amounts of land per gigawatt Life cycle emission is 4 times less than solar PV and 6-20 times lower than natural gas

Question 48

Disadvantages Geothermal

Answer 48

Available cites are very limited. The drilling and exploration is very expensive High Risk (Well failure/depletion) Lack of public awareness

Question 49

What is blue hydrogen

Answer 49

Produced by Steam Methane Reforming with Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS)

Question 50

What is green hydrogen

Answer 50

Produced by electrolysis with required power coming from a renewable source

Question 51

What is pink hydrogen from

Answer 51

Nuclear

Question 52

What is yellow hydrogen from

Answer 52

Solar

Question 53

Challenges of hydrogen

Answer 53

Storage Safety- flammable Production cost Integration into system Development of infrastructure Competition with batteries