Life Cycle Inventory Analysis of Bioproducts from a Modular Advanced Biomass Pyrolysis System
Rick Bergman Hongmei Gu US Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory Madison, WI
2014 SWST IC Jun 23-27, 2014 Zvolen, Slovakia Forest Products Laboratory
Research Working for You Forest Products Laboratory Public service through science We take pride in knowing that our research touches lives on a daily basis.
FPL is responsible for many of today’s wood- based technologies, including wood preservatives, glulam beams, oriented strandboard, and fiber-based packaging. Forest Products Laboratory Research emphasis areas .Advanced Composites .Advanced Structures .Forest Biorefinery .Nanotechnology .Woody Biomass Life Cycle Inventory Analysis of Bioproducts from a Modular Advanced Biomass Pyrolysis System
Rick Bergman Hongmei Gu US Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory Madison, WI
2014 SWST IC Jun 23-27, 2014 Zvolen, Slovakia What is life-cycle analysis (LCA)?
ISO 14040 (2006): Clause 4.3. Features of an attributional LCA “LCA assesses, in a systematic way, the environmental aspects and impacts of product systems, from raw material extraction to final disposal, in accordance with the stated goal and scope;”
US Forest Products Laboratory 6 What is life-cycle analysis (cont.)?
LCA calculates all kinds of environmental impacts (carbon footprint, energy, water, acidity, toxicity, etc.) for a product or service across the entire life cycle – from raw material extraction, to product making, to distribution, use, and end of life.
US Forest Products Laboratory 7 Presentation Overview
A. Overall project – Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) 1. Feedstock development 2. Products Development 3. Development Analysis 1. Evaluate net life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy balance of Tucker RNG unit (LCA) B. Life-cycle analysis 1. Goal and scope of LCA 2. Method (collecting and modeling run data) 3. Results
US Forest Products Laboratory 8 Backgroung: BRDI project ---- Integration of Biofuels and Bioproducts Production into Forest Products supply Chains using Modular Biomass Gasification and Carbon Activation
Technical Area 1: Feedstock Development
1. Evaluate existing and new systems of harvesting, processing, and transporting forest biomass feedstock from the forest to biomass conversion facilities 2. Develop enhanced system logistics 3. Develop new trucking and processing equipment 4. Produce next-generation landscape-level spatial feedstock supply models
US Forest Products Laboratory 9 Background: BRDI project ---- Integration of Biofuels and Bioproducts Production into Forest Products supply Chains using Modular Biomass Gasification and Carbon Activation
Technical Area 2: Biofuels/Bio-based Products Development 1. Research, develop and improve the performance of a modular biomass gasification system (Tucker RNG unit) 2. Evaluate the suitability of biochar outputs for the production of activated carbon 3. Develop and test pelletizing processes that can be used to improve the transport and storage characteristics of the carbon output, as well as its suitability for filtering and soil amendment applications. 4. Research and develop equipment and methods of spreading biochar on forest and agricultural sites.
US Forest Products Laboratory 10 Background: BRDI project ---- Integration of Biofuels and Bioproducts Production into Forest Products supply Chains using Modular Biomass Gasification and Carbon Activation
Technical Area 3: Biofuels Development Analysis
1. Find GHG emissions and mass and energy balances for the Tucker renewable natural gas (RNG) unit 2. Evaluate the impacts for forest biomass utilization 3. Develop financial models for biomass on economic conditions in the US West 4. Develop an economic synthesis of modular gasification at forest industry facilities
US Forest Products Laboratory 11 Our part: Life-cycle analysis
Find life cycle GHG emissions and mass and energy balances for the two Tucker (TEA) System products • syngas for heat and electricity • biochar for soil amendment and activated carbon for filtering applications.
US Forest Products Laboratory 12 Carbon sequestration by biochar
One metric ton of oven dry One metric ton of biochar stores building timber stores roughly roughly 880 kg of carbon, 510 kg of carbon, corresponding to 3.2 metric ton corresponding to 1.8 metric of CO2; ton of CO2;
US Forest Products Laboratory 13 LCA goal for BRDI project
Conduct comparative LCA for the following: 1.Activated carbon from coal and biochar 2.Electricity from fossil fuels and syngas
Determine the following: •Mass and energy balances of biomass pyrolysis •Net GHG balance of bio-based products •Other major environmental impacts
US Forest Products Laboratory 14 System chain
Up Stream: forest management, extraction, chip production Tucker (TEA) system – pyrolysis Down Stream: syngas to electricity, biochar to activated carbon
US Forest Products Laboratory 15 Process flow diagram for Tucker system
Propane Low Btu syngas Air lock Feed stock Gas MableMabel activeactive section section syngas storage & char tank Compressor
Tar/water Medium- sludge Residue heat Btu syngas Misting Chamber flare Tar condenser
syngas syngas Ethyl passive section biochar
char Biochar
US Forest Products Laboratory 16 Flue gas System chain – fossil fuel-based commercial products
17 Scope of LCA project
• Unit process modeling – Cradle-to-grave • Define the system boundaries – What flows in and out is accounted for • Select functional unit – Per biomass feedstock unit input (OD kg) – Per energy unit output (MJ or kWh) – Per harvesting area (hectare)
US Forest Products Laboratory 18 Scope of LCA project (con.)
How to assign emissions and raw material consumption for the products?
Allocation options for the two products • By mass (current) • Energy content (alternative scenario) • System expansion • Revenue generated by products
US Forest Products Laboratory 19 Modeling of Tucker unit
1. SimaPro model – One-hour continuous run in Locust, NC • Mass and energy balances • Syngas and biochar material property tests • Determine gas/solid compositions/energy • Fossil energy replacement ratio (FERR) • Cumulative energy consumption – Upstream chips production – Tricon Timber – Activating carbon from bio-char – Generating electricity from syngas US Forest Products Laboratory 20 Mass and energy balance
Initial analysis -- Functional unit is 263 kg of pine/fir chip Mass and Energy Inputs Mass Energy Total Energy Percent Source (kg) (MJ/kg) (MJ) (%) Feedstock 263 18.4 (1) 4,848 72.0% Propane 36.4 51.8 (2) 1,885 28.0% Total Thermal 6,732 100% Parasitic Electricity 2.87 kWh 3.6 MJ/kWh (2) 10.3 MJ
(1) As measured from wood chips with 8.19% moisture (wt) (2) Propane and electricity unit energy HHV values are taken from Franklin Database. http://www.fal.com/lifecycle.htm US Forest Products Laboratory 21 Mass and energy balance
Initial analysis - Functional unit is 263 kg (580 lb) of pine/fir chip Mass and Energy Outputs Mass Mass Energy Total Energy Source Percent (kg) (%) (MJ/kg) (MJ) (%) Syngas 172 65.4 17.96(3) 3,091 64.1 Tar, oil/water 54.3 20.6 10.54 572 11.9 Biochar 36.4 13.8 31.74 1,156 24.0 Total 263 100 4,819 100
(3) unit energy value for biochar and tar oil/water were obtained from the proximate analysis and syngas unit energy value obtained from ASTM- D1945/3588 standard tests. US Forest Products Laboratory 22 Mass and energy balance
Initial analysis - Functional unit (FU) is 263 kg of pine/fir chip Energy in incoming feedstock is not considered in the analysis
Total energy gain = OUT – IN = 4,819 - 1,885 = 2,924 MJ per FU
Net energy gain = Bio-energy output from the system - Fossil energy input into the system = 19.8 – 7.79 = 12.0 MJ per kg
Propane Biochar
electricity Syngas
23 Energy results
Fossil energy Bioenergy Fossil Energy Total energy Unit energy input to the output from the Replacement gain gain system system Ratio (MJ) (MJ/kg) (MJ/kg) (MJ) (MJ/MJ) 2,924 12.0 7.79 19.80 2.54
24 Major emissions
SUBSTANCES Air emission Unit Quantity Percent, by mass Carbon monoxide g 2.16 0.3% Carbon dioxide, biogenic g 0.43 0.1% Carbon dioxide, fossil g 734 98.4% Methane g 2.12 0.3% Sulfur dioxide g 3.54 0.5% Water emissions Suspended solids, unspecified g 43.38 46.7% Chloride g 35.64 36.7%
Most fossil CO2 and water emission are from burning propane and transporting the chips from Montana to North Carolina. Electricity use of Tucker unit operation is minor. US Forest Products Laboratory 25 Conclusion
• Cumulative energy consumed - 12.0 MJ/OD kg chips − Generated from primary energy − Includes indirect energy used to make fossil fuel energy products • Fossil Energy Replacement Ratio (FERR) is 2.54, − Tucker RNG unit is energy efficient system, even though it is on the low end comparing with other bioenergy systems − Does not include upstream and downstream processes • Most air and water emission are from propane and diesel − Co-locating unit . Substantially lower diesel fuel use (i.e. GHG emissions) . Lower cumulative energy/increase FERR − Replacing propane with recycled low-Btu syngas generated from Tucker RNG unit US Forest Products Laboratory 26 Acknowledgement
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) award no. 2011-10006-30357 is gratefully acknowledged. BRDI is a joint effort between the USDA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
US Forest Products Laboratory 27 Questions?
Rick Bergman [email protected] (608) 231-9477
2014 Society of Wood Science and Technology Zvolen, Slovakia 28 FPL LCA research emphasis
• LCA on Green Building materials • LCA Bioenergy from bio-based materials
Hongmei Gu [email protected] (608) 231-9589
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