Topic:-

Energy from biomass and hydrogen revolution

Project by:

Ratnesh kanungo

Reg no:15BIT0257 B.Tech(IT)(VIT,vellore)

What is BiomassBiomass fuels come from things that once lived: wood products, dried vegetation, crop residues, aquatic plants and even garbage. It is known as 'Natural Material'. Plants used up a lot of the sun's energy to make their own food (photosynthesis). They stored the foods in the plants in the form of chemical energy. As the plants died, the energy is trapped in the residue. This trapped energy is usually released by burning and can be converted into biomass energy.

Wood is a biomass fuel. It is renewable. As long as we continue to plant new trees to replace those cut down, we will always have wood to burn. Just as with the fossil fuels, the energy stored in biomass fuels came originally from the Sun. To many people, the most familiar forms of renewable energy are the wind and the sun. But biomass (plant material and animal waste) is the oldest source of renewable energy, used since our ancestors learned the secret of fire.

Types of Beneficial BiomassMost scientists believe that a wide range of biomass resources are “beneficial” because their use will clearly reduce overall carbon emissions and provide other benefits. Among other resources, beneficial biomass includes

1. energy crops that don’t compete with food crops for land

2. portions of crop residues such as wheat straw or corn Stover

3. sustainably-harvested wood and forest residues, and4. Clean municipal and industrial wastes.

Beneficial biomass use can be considered part of the terrestrial carbon cycle—the balanced cycling of carbon from the atmosphere into plants and then into soils and the atmosphere during plant decay. When biopower is developed properly, emissions of biomass carbon are taken up or recycled by subsequent plant growth within a relatively short time, resulting in low net carbon emissions.

Beneficial biomass sources generally maintain or even increase the stocks of carbon stored in soil or plants. Beneficial biomass also displaces carbon emissions from fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or natural gas, the burning of which adds new and additional carbon to the atmosphere and causes global warming.

Among beneficial resources, the most effective and sustainable biomass resources will vary from region to region and also depend on the efficiency of converting biomass to its final application, be it for biopower, biofuels, bioproducts, or heat.

Energy Crops

Energy crops can be grown on farms in potentially large quantities and in ways that don’t displace or otherwise reduce food production, such as by growing them on marginal lands or pastures or as double crops that fit into rotations with food crops. Trees and grasses that are native to a region often require fewer synthetic inputs and pose less risk of disruption to agro-ecosystems.

Switchgrass

Switchgrass is a perennial grass that grows throughout the Great Plains, the Midwest and the South. Switchgrass is a hardy species—resistant to floods, droughts, nutrient poor soils, and pests—and does not require much fertilizer to produce consistent high yields .Today, switchgrass is primarily cultivated either as feed for livestock or, due to its deep root structure, as ground cover to prevent soil erosion. However, this prairie grass also has promise for biopower and biofuel production (see profile of Show-Me Energy below).  If demand for switchgrass outstrips the capacity of marginal lands, it could, however, compete with other crops for more productive land.

Wood

Wood is the conventional biomass energy used in the home - though it can be used for much larger buildings or even communities.

Woody biomass production comprises forestry products, waste wood, cardboard, waste pellets and straw. A farmer in Northamptonshire now crops miscanthus, or elephant grass, which produces 12ft high canes for use in power stations or as horse bedding.

Used on its own or in conjunction with fossil fuels it is possible for woody biomass fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emisssions, whilst in some instances can also reduce waste treatment costs.

Biogas

Sewage or manure is used to generate biogas. After feeding slurry into a digester, conversion can take from 10days to several weeks.

In Nepal a cow dung biogas project won the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2005 where 66 of the 75 districts are running the scheme. In Sweden cow entrails are used to power the trains system.

Landfill gas

Landfill sites produce a 50:50 mix of carbon dioxide and methane as organic materials decompose. Sites which hold less organic material produce less gas. The methane is used to generate electricity or to provide process heat. 33% of the UK's renewable energy in 2003 came from landfill gas.

This form of energy generation is symptomatic of a society that cannot deal with its waste. Hopefully, as local authorities become adept at separating waste and householders compost where possible, this form of renewable energy will subside.

FermentationBioethanol and Biodiesel are forms of fermented biomass. To produce bioethanol sugars are converted into ethanol. Bioethanol can be mixed with petrol or used directly if an adapted engine is used. The most efficient sources are

sugar cane and beet, though potatoes, corn, wheat and barley can also be used. Forestry waste, energy crops and waste paper are all in the research phase to produce bioethanol.

Vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled cooking oil can be made into biodiesel. The refining process does have a carbon cost, but typical carbon dioxide emissions are still reduced, as compared to fossil fuels, by 60%.

Conclusions for Biomass-EnergyBiomass energy brings numerous environmental benefits—particularly reducing many kinds of air pollution and net carbon emissions. Biomass can be grown and harvested in ways that protect soil quality, avoid erosion, and maintain wildlife habitat. However, the environmental benefits of biomass depend on developing beneficial biomass resources and avoiding harmful resources.In addition to its many environmental benefits, beneficial biomass offers economic and energy security benefits. By growing our fuels at home, we reduce the need to import fossil fuels from other states and nations, and reduce our expenses and exposure to disruptions in that supply.

Hydrogen FuelHydrogen is one of two natural elements that combine to make water. Hydrogen is not an energy source, but an energy carrier because it takes a great deal of energy to extract it from water. It is useful as a compact energy source in fuel cells and batteries. Many companies are working hard to develop technologies that can efficiently exploit the potential of hydrogen energy. This page lists articles about hydrogen fuel as an alternative energy source.

THE HYDROGEN REVOLUTION!

Hydrogen is quickly being realized as the preeminent energy source of the new millennium. The primary technology that is "fueling" (how handy!) this momentum is the emergence of Fuel Cell technology. Common sense, advancements in technology and environmental concerns have all contributed to this exciting new solution to our global energy needs.

Common Sense: Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Its most commonly thought of source is water, which covers three quarters of our globe. Hydrogen can be produced from water through electrolysis, freeing up the oxygen molecule to the atmosphere. Hydrogen can then be stored as a gas, a liquid or a solid.

Advancements in Technology: The first successful application was used in the 1960s when NASA began using the technology to supply power for on-board electronics and water for the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. NASA still uses fuel cells to provide electricity and water to the space shuttle today.

Environmental Concerns: In the Automotive application, the internal combustion engine has served mankind well, but not without costs. The emissions of VOC's (volatile organic compounds) have jeopardized our air quality and the ozone layer protecting us from the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays. Hydrogen provides as close to a perfect "closed loop" energy source as we have found, with no impact on our environment. We can obtain pure hydrogen through the process of water electrolysis (using electricity to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen), with oxygen being released into the atmosphere. A reformer will strip the hydrogen molecules from the gas, and the same scenario will repeat itself as above, with a small, harmless amount of water being released into the atmosphere.

Conclusions for Hydrogen Energy RevolutionThere is a quiet revolution taking place in the car industry that will fundamentally change the way we live. Imagine cities without smog. Without oil tankers. With less noise. And all because the new vehicles will be powered on the most common element of all - hydrogen, a constituent part of water Renewable energy sources such as wind and thermal power would be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen would be run through fuel cells to create electricity that could power cars, homes, factories and transport systems and will give appropriate result in future.

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I am B.Tech (IT) Student at VIT (Vellore).This is a simple and short case study about the topic by me. Please keep tuned with me to know more about differ topics. You can join me on:- https://www.facebook.com/?q=#/ratnesh.kanungo

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