1. BIOMASS ENERGY presented by Neo-Excretory Genesis
Million Negassi Allen Trac Gordon Lai
Clement Law Paul Lin Weiming Li
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2. Topics Methane generation from cows Methane generation from Human
Number of people needed to generate enough power for SLO
Number of cows needed for methane generation
Biomass related-diseases, odor and pollution
Suggestions
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3. Overview of Biomass energy
Biomass products have been used for thousands of years to
cook food
keep households warm
Sources of biomass:
Animal waste
Life stock-manure (Cows)
Human-sludge
organic component of municipal industrial wastes
Wood and dry crop wastes are classified as biomass derived fuels
Firewood is still the most common form of fuel
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4. Overview of Biomass energy
It accounts for 3% of energy production in the U.S.
Biomass is still the largest form of energy available in the US
It ranks second (to hydropower) in renewable energy
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5. Effects of Biomass energy
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
Generates carbon dioxide as fossil fuels do
But CO2 is removed when a tree is grown
The net CO2 emission will be zero if plants are grown for the purposes of biomass energy
Planting a tree for each tree we cut is required
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6. Biomass Energy Applications
Biofuels Converting biomass into liquid fuels for transportation
Biopower Burning biomass directly, or converting it into a gaseous fuel or oil, to generate electricity
Bioproducts Converting biomass into chemicals for making products that typically are made from petroleum
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7. Biogas Production Tech
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8. Biogas (Digester gas) Mixture of gases
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9. Typical Energy Production
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10. Anaerobic Digesters Covered Lagoon Digester Complete Mix Digester
Manure storage lagoon with floating cover
Liquid manure with < 3% solid
Complete Mix Digester
Heated tank above or below ground
Large manure volume with solid concentration 3% ~ 10%
Plug-Flow Digester
Digester with mixing pit for water
Ruminant animal manure with solid concentration 11% ~ 13 %
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11. Mix Above Ground Digester
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12. Mix Above Ground Digester Tank
Retention time of 20 days
Size = daily manure production X 20
More efficient than plug-flow system
Less effect from change in climate
Stable production
Less effective than covered lagoon system
More expensive $$$$$
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13. Components
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14. Components
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15. Benefits Generate electricity
Fuel for boiler, space heater, refrigeration equipment
Directly combust as a cooking and lighting fuel
Most equipment that use natural gas, propane, or butane fuels can be modified to operate on biogas.
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16. Benefits Nearby green house could be heated with biogas
Carbon dioxide from heater exhaust could enhance plant growth
Recovered digested solids may be used for animal bedding
Anaerobic digestion does not lower the total amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the manure but does increase the amount of ammonia nitrogen
The manure effluent will have a higher nutrient availability and plant uptake may be improved with digestion
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17. Benefits
After digestion, compounds, which usually produce odors, are greatly reduced
Digester systems, properly designed and operated, significantly reduce the odors associated with manure storage and distribution.
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18. Energy Requirements for SLO County
Number of Households = 97,230
Number of People = 237,709
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19. Energy Requirements for SLO County
Number of People per Household
12,133 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year
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20. Methane Production System Considerations
Success Rates
Covered Lagoons – 78%
Plug Flow – 37%
Mix Digesters – 30%
Choose to use covered lagoons due to success rates
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21. Covered Lagoon Power Plants
How much energy can be produced from each plant?
We’ll choose the one from Cal Poly
It produces 170,000 kWh / Plant*year
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22. How many power plants do we need to power the county?
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23. Is such a system feasible?
How many cows are required?
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24. Is such a system feasible?
We need 3,993,400 cow’s manure to supply enough methane to power the county.
Does SLO county have that many cows?
Number of Cows in California = 1.3 Million
Not even California has enough cows to supply enough manure for SLO county energy production through methane.
I Guess not!
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25. Human Excretory System Consideration
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26. How much sludge does a cow produce?
1000 lb cow produces 80 lbs of sludge/day
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27. How much sludge do we produce?
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28. Ratio of Cow Sludge to Human Sludge
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29. How much sludge do we need to produce?
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30. Is this Human System Feasible?
The Human population in California is: 33,871,648
We need 54,294,400 humans to supply enough methane to SLO county
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31. Current developing system
In Corby, UK, Engineers have started to develop the first human sludge power generating system.
It is based on a sewage works in Northamptonshire.
Every flush will count in the scheme to provide 5,000 local homes and businesses
Ideal for small communities
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32. Current developing system
Each unit has to be no bigger than two Dutch barns.
Expected cost is about ₤10 Million, or $18 Million
It will be paid off within 10 years.
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33. What can we do with the Sludge?
PROS
CONS
Put it in landfill
Cheap
Not sustainable. We will run out of space. People don’t like it. They are worried that things will get into the water supply.
Burning and using the energy produced.
This may be able to power the sewage works and will become cheaper as technology develops.
Expensive at the moment. People worry about gases realized.
Putting on the land for agriculture.
Long term benefits to soil structure. Special rules govern which crops can be treated and how long to harvesting. The public approve if it has been well treated.
Not the cheapest option
Dumping at sea
Banned
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34. Our Choice Use Sludge to Produce Energy
Sustainable Energy makes sense for our future
It will become cheaper as technology develops
Conventional sources of energy will become more and more expensive
$millions = efforts to save the earth
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35. How long will it take to pay off?
Original Definitions
P: monthly payment
A: loan principal
R: APR (annual percentage rate) / 12
Redefinitions
P: $$ saved in energy per month
A: cost to set up and build the system
R: current prime rate / 12
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36. Actual Numbers (estimated)
Fibropower Limited’s project “Eye”
Project costs: ₤ 22 million
System power capacity: 12.7 Mega-watts
R = current prime rate / 12
= 6.0% / 12
= 0.005
A = cost of system
= ₤ 22 million
= $ 40.4 million
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37. Continued… P = $$ saved by the system per month
= (energy generated per month) x (conventional energy price)
– (operating costs + maintenance costs)
= (9.278 M-kwh) x ($0.12/kwh)
– ($9.278 M-kwh) x ($0.0675/kwh)
= $ 487,095 / month
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38. The Results!! = 995.63 months = 83 yrs
A and R are directly proportional to # of months to pay off;
P is inversely proportional to # of months to pay off.
Facts:
It is expensive at the moment; A is large
We use prime rate to estimate; R will vary
Conventional energy will approach shortage;
Technology will make the system more economically viable.  P will Increase
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39. cost environmental impact odor and disease
Disadvantages
cost
environmental impact
odor and disease
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40. Cost On average, more expensive than conventional source of energy
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41. Environmental Impacts
NOT emissions-free. They are known to emit nitrogen and sulfur oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and ammonia
only marginally effective at reducing problems with odors, pathogens and greenhouse gas emissions
pose dangers to surrounding residents--leaking, emitting dangerous gases, and threatening to overflow.
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42. Continued DOES NOT reduce quantity of manure
Heavy metal and toxic materials could not degrade by digester
Manure used as fertilizer would bring these danger materials to consumers
Land use
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43. Risk Control
promoting proper pollutant source control and disposal of household and business hazardous wastes
assessing treated sewage sludge quality, assuring appropriate land types and use for application while verifying compatibility with surrounding areas
determining appropriate soil, landscape, and crop or vegetative conditions for biosolids use or restriction
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44. continued
monitoring and overseeing transport, storage, application and land use during and after application.
limiting harvest or grazing until appropriate time periods have elapsed.
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45. Odor Control
Siting—1 mile minimum & downwind from neighbors, land base adequate for manure disposal, good soil drainage, and visibility.
Frequent flushing or scraping.
Solid separation; keep solid stockpiles dry and preferably covered or compost them.
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46. continued
Lagoon type—aerobic lagoons produce less odor than anaerobic lagoons.
Lagoon covers.
Windbreaks to reduce airflow across lagoons.
Proper maintenance of the facility inside and out.
Applying manure when the wind is calm and incorporating the manure as soon as possible.
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47. Conclusion
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48. Possible solutions (Nuclear Energy)
Uranium:
Uranium can be extracted from seawater or earth’s crust
It can be extracted from seawater at less than $1000 per pound
Considers $ per pound the best estimate.
In terms of fuel cost per million BTU, he gives (uranium at $400 per pound 1.1 cents , coal $1.25, OPEC oil $5.70, natural gas $3-4.)
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49. Nuclear Energy Deposition and energy yield:
Rivers bring more uranium that is 3.2x10^4 tons/yr
we can extract 16,000 tons/yr of uranium from seawater
It would supply 25 times the world's present electricity usage
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50. Nuclear Energy Availability
Seawater contains 3.3x10^(-9) (3.3 parts per billion) of uranium
So the 1.4x10^18 tons of seawater contains 4.6x10^9 tons of uranium
All the world's electricity usage, 650GWe could therefore be supplied by the uranium in seawater for 7 million years
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51. Nuclear Energy It can yield twice the world's present total energy
The supply would last for 5 billion years with a withdrawal rate of 6,500 tons/yr
The crust contains 6.5x10^13 tons of uranium.
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52. Solar Power
Powering with solar energy tower
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53. End
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