A new process can turn the lignin portion of biomass into affordable fuels. Lignin provides rigidity to a plant cell wall, but that rigidity makes it suitable only for burning for generating heat. Wayne Hicks at NREL describes how the new âCELFâ pre-treatment process deconstructs and fractionates the lignin and other parts of biomass to yield a diverse range of products: alcohols, esters, carboxylic acids, and hydrocarbons. It could enable the … [Read more...]
How can Biomass fulfil its potential in EU carbon markets?
In carbon markets such as the EU ETS participants must monitor and report their emissions and ultimately pay for them. Biomass occupies a unique place. It is well positioned to be a net-zero emissions energy source for hard-to-abate sectors. Coupled with effective on-site carbon capture technologies, it can be carbon negative. And there is a great diversity of project types involving forestry, biochar kilns, waste-to-energy, carbon capture and … [Read more...]
Biogas from dairy farms: what incentives can make it commercially viable?
Anaerobic digesters are used to turn cow manure into useable methane fuel. But the raw cost of that gas is ten times the market price. On the plus side, emissions are being avoided. So how do you create the incentives that are fair and make it commercially viable? In California, dairy biogas has risen from almost non-existence five years ago to delivering half of all natural gas used for transportation in the state. Aaron Smith at the Energy … [Read more...]
16 innovative firms driving Aviationâs transition to net-zero
The Sustainable Aviation Challenge has identified 16 innovative firms that can accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuel and other propulsion solutions. Aviation accounts for 2% of global emissions and, so long as lightweight compact clean aviation fuels are unavailable, this number is likely to increase along with air travel projections. Gianluca Gygax at the World Economic Forum lists the 16 firms, who will now be … [Read more...]
Event summary: âBioenergy after REDIII â sustainable, climate neutral fuels for industry, transport and negative emissionsâ
Sara Stefanini provides a written summary of our panel discussion held on Wednesday 4th October 2023. Itâs a full summary of the 75 minute discussion, and begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights. Under the recently revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII) bioenergy can be counted towards the renewable energy targets â provided that it meets strict sustainability criteria. Bioenergy already accounts for 60% of the EUâs renewable … [Read more...]
Concawe Symposium tackles climate and pollution as RED commits fuel companies to 29% renewable content from 2030
With the adoption of REDIII last week we are set for a dramatic increase in the ârenewableâ element of liquid fuels. It means that in just 10 years, the renewable element will have tripled, rising from 10% in 2020 to 29% from 2030 onwards. In the EU, Concawe (a division of the European fuel manufacturing industry) develops scientific research and technical studies on the fuel industryâs products and operations, and their impact. Concawe is … [Read more...]
The final hurdle for 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel? Turning Lignin biomass into the âaromaticâ component
Making 100% sustainable aviation fuel seems a long way away. Aircraft need energy-dense power, as delivered by fossil fuels, and sustainable alternatives are being developed. But a big challenge is that 10% - 25% of the fuel must be âaromaticâ which neither thickens nor freezes at cold altitudes. Also, aromatics get absorbed by the plastic seals, make them swell, and ensure those seals between various components in the aircraftâs fuel system are … [Read more...]
Turning Ethanol productionâs CO2 by-product into E-Fuels using Wind power
With vast open spaces, Midwest states in the U.S. produce millions of gallons of ethanol from corn as well as thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity from wind farms every year. Research led by NREL is working on using wind power to drive electrolysers that turn the ethanolâs CO2 by-product into e-fuels, explains Erik Ringle at NREL. A typical 50 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant releases 14 tons of CO2, a natural by-product of … [Read more...]
What is the future of Woody Biomass in the EU energy mix?
Simon Göss provides an overview of the main issues surrounding the intense policy debate over the future of biomass in the EU. The current proposals of the EU parliament still allow certain woody biomass to be used for all kinds of energy purposes but limits the share that primary woody biomass can contribute towards renewable energy targets. Included in the proposals is a new definition of primary woody biomass, and a phase-out of financial … [Read more...]
Biofuel is approaching a feedstock crunch. How bad? And what must be done?
The IEA is warning that biodiesel, renewable diesel and biojet fuel producers are heading for a feedstock supply crunch over the next five years. Rising prices are the signal to seek out new supplies and solutions, which should â and are - driving the development of government programmes and industry innovation. Here, the IEA lays out their projections for 2022-2027, covering all the main feedstocks: sugars, maize, soy oil, rapeseed oil, palm … [Read more...]
Turning waste biomass into clean fuel: cheap, portable equipment, cuts emissions, earns income for rural poor
The burning of biomass accounts for 10% of primary energy used worldwide: wood, peat, animal dung, corn stalks, rice husks, hay, straw, and other agricultural waste. Billions of people, mainly in remote and poorer regions, rely on such fuels for cooking, heating, and other household needs. But itâs a major source of emissions as well as pollution. And, annually, an estimated $120bn worth of crop and forest residues are burned out in the open … [Read more...]
EVs vs Biofuels: new study looks at ethanolâs impact on agricultural land use, food prices, emissions
For transport, biofuels have lower emissions than gasoline/petrol, but EVs will have the lowest emissions of all. Hence the opposition to those biofuels, along with objections to the valuable cropland used to make the ethanol. But the overall advantage depends on the speed of transition to EVs charged with clean electricity. Now, a calculation has been made of the amount of agricultural land preserved for global food production - or kept as … [Read more...]
SAFFiRE: cheap, Sustainable Aviation Fuel from agricultural waste
SAFFiRE (Sustainable Aviation Fuel From [i] Renewable Ethanol) is a 10-ton-per-day pilot plant project. The goal is 7bn gallons of sustainable, low-carbon aviation fuel by 2040. Ryan Horns at NREL explains that the sustainable fuel is made from corn stover, an agricultural waste product, chemically broken down into sugars that can then be converted to fuels. The SAFFiRE process can take advantage of the existing infrastructure of over 200 ethanol … [Read more...]
Russia-Ukraine stalls EU Biofuels, but accelerates its medium/long-term targets
Rising food and fuel costs are pushing several EU countries to freeze or lower 2022-2023 low-carbon blending mandates for transportation fuels. That will likely mean a rise in emissions, but only in the short term, says Cornelius Claeys at Stratas Advisors. However, the same policymakers understand that ending imports of fossil fuels from a belligerent Russia is an opportunity to raise low-carbon targets for the medium and long term. So, right … [Read more...]
Event summary: âUnlocking the potential of Bioenergyâ
Sara Stefanini provides a written summary of our panel discussion held on Thursday March 17th 2022. Itâs a full summary of the 90 minute discussion (including audience questions), but it begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights (potential for bioenergy, hard-to-abate sectors, sustainability, policy needs). Those highlights include the need to scale bioenergy up from around 50 EJ today to 150 EJ by 2050; the importance of carbon … [Read more...]