Biomass/Biodiesel Jessica Baker, Jeanne Cannon, Arthur Bryant

What is it?● Biomass

○ biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms.

○ Main type = Lignocellulosic Biomass○ Wood wastes

● Biodiesel ○ biofuel intended as a substitute for

diesel.

What is it from? Where is it?

Technical Impediments

• High up-front capital costso lack of profitabilityo feedstock transportation costs

• Not enough policy incentives • Change into sugar

What modifications (if any) must be made to existing diesel engines to get them to run on biodiesel?

• Can be used in standard diesel engines.o NOT CARS!o Some Companies void warranty for using biodiesel

• Mix biodiesel with regular fuel• Biodiesel -- better for our engines!

Environmental Impacts• Deforestation • Uses soil degradation• Massive land use*Biodiesel is one of many

alternative fuel options that has the potential to help reduce oil dependence and global warming pollution. But done wrong, biodiesel can actually increase global warming pollution and cause other environmental problems, such as deforestation and loss of biodiversity.

Pros

•Truly a renewable fuel•Widely available and naturally

distributed•Generally low cost inputs•Abundant supply•Can be domestically produced for

energy independence•Low carbon, cleaner than fossil fuels•Can convert waste into energy, helping

to deal with waste

Cons

•Energy intensive to produce. In some •cases, with little or no net gain.•Land utilization can be considerable.

Can lead to deforestation.•Requires water to grow•Not totally clean when burned (NOx,

soot, ash, CO, CO2)•May compete directly with food

production (e.g. corn, soy)•Some fuels are seasonal•Heavy feedstocks require energy to

transport.•Overall process can be expensive•Some methane and CO2 are emitted

during production•Not easily scalable

http://youtu.be/-ck3FYVNl6s

Are biomass and biodiesel truly sustainable?

What’s to come for Biomass & Biodiesel?

RESIDENTIAL

References● Biomass 2013: How the advanced bioindustry is reshaping american energy. (2013, august 1).

Retrieved from http://www1.eere.energy.gov/bioenergy/biomass_2013.html● Biomass. (2013, december 1). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass● Korhaliller, S., & Macqueen, D. (2010). Bundles of energy bundles of energy macqueen and

korhaliller duncan macqueen and sibel korhaliller the case for renewable biomass energy. Natural Resource, (24), 1-99. Retrieved from http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/13556IIED.pdf

● http://www.globalproblems-globalsolutions-files.org/gpgs_files/pdf/UNF_Bioenergy/UNF_Bioenergy_5.pdf● http://www.biodiesel.com/index.php/biodiesel/frequently_asked_questions_about_biodiesel● http://www.planete-energies.com/en/everyday-energy/new-uses/overview-of-green-fuels-/developing-biofuels-obstacles-

to-be-overcome-188.html● http://feedstockreview.ornl.gov/pdf/tagore/multiyear_technical_plan_document_summary.pdf

● http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/9204/report-investigates-ways-to-overcome-development-barriers