Chapter 1: BIOMASS RESOURCES & CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOFUELS hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

PART A: BIOMASS RESOURCES hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Biomass is a fuel made origionally from the sun. It is usually made up of dead animals and plants. It's a renewable source because it can be found almost anywhere with plants and trees.  hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Biomass energy cycle forest hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Renewable Energy vs Fossil Fuel Energy Fossil fuel reserves are limited and will be depleted. Burning fossil fuels causes environmental concerns eg. GHG emmission. Energy from biomass releases CO2, but the CO2 is utilized for biosynthesis during the growth of biomass. hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Carbon cycle hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Types of Biomass Resources Sugarcane Corn Napier grass Lignocellulosic waste Algae hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Sugar Crops Includes sugarcane, sugar beets, sweet sorghum, apples, grapes etc. Molasses – residual syrup remaining from crystallization of sugar from sugarcane and sugarbeets, is also a common feedstock Pulp and papermill sludges contain 40-50 wt% glucose These sugars can be directly fermented by yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Sugarcane Brazil is the largest producer (514 million tons in 2007) India is the second largest producer, followed by China. It has stalks bunched in stools of 5-50 stalks Can be grown in regular rotation with other crops. Requires tropical or subtropical climate. Time to maturity is between 8-24 months. Strong sunlight and plentiful water is needed to meet the considerable growth potential. hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Sugar Beet A biennial root vegetable High content of sucrose in its root. Grown in temperate climates Average sugar (sucrose) content is around 17% of total raw biomass. World’s largest sugar beet producer: France, USA and Russia hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Sweet Sorghum Used in the production of sugar, syrup, fuel and roofing applications. Thrive under drier and warmer conditions. Largely produced in Asia, followed by North America. The juice contains 56% sucrose, 30% glucose, 14% fructose. hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Starch and Inulin Crops Corn, potatoes, cassava etc. Starch is a glucose polymer with 2 main components: amylose and amylopectin Inulin, like starch, is a storage carbohydrate, but its basic unit is fructose rather than glucose Inulin is commonly found in tuber crops such as dahlia and Jerusalem artichoke. hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Corn Typically planted in the spring when warm temperatures are condusive for growth. Soil moisture is another key factor that determines the adaptability of corn to an area. Predominant component of corn is starch, 64-78% of the total mass on a dry basis. Other carbohydrates include cellulose fiber, pentosans, sucrose and monomeric sugars such as glucose, fructose and raffinose. hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Wheat China – largest producer, followed by India Contains 77% starch content (dry basis) hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Agricultural Residues It refers to either crop residues or processing residues. Corn stover – remains in a field after harvesting corn, includes stalks (50%), leaves (22%), cobs (15%) and husks (13%). Wheat straw Rice straw hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Herbaceous Biomass Switchgrass Miscanthus Coastal Bermuda Grass “Herbaceous biomass is from plants that have a non-woody stem and which die back at the end of the growing season. It includes grains or seeds crops from food processing industry and their by-products such as cereal straw.” Switchgrass Miscanthus Coastal Bermuda Grass hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

Oil Seeds Soybean Rapeseed (Canola) Sunflower Oil Palm Waste Edible Oil hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

CASE STUDY 1 – lignocelluloses biomass hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my

hafizashukor@unimap.edu.my