Crops biomass resources

Biomass can be a renewable feedstock for methane. Biomass feedstocks for methane production include crop residues, municipal solid waste (MSW), and wood resources. Biomass resources for the production of alcohol fuels are estimated at about 5 million dry tons per day which could provide 500 million gallons of methanol per day. 

The Renewables-Intensive Global Energy Scenario (RIGES) predicts a primary energy potential from biomass resources for Western Europe to be 14160 PJ/year by 2025 and 14 170 PJ/year by 2050 (Johansson et al., 1993). Thereby the biomass potential comprises resources from wood, energy crops, agricultural residues and industrial biomass residues. The estimates are based on the biomass production at that time in combination with assumptions of future growth rates. 

The gasification process can use a variety of biomass resources, such as agricultural residues and wastes, or specifically grown energy crops. The technologies for gasifying... 

Fig. 1.15 Key global biomass resources from agricultural residues, wood, and herbaceous energy crops. (A. J. Ragauskas et al., Science, 311,484 (2006). Reprinted with permission from AAAS [7]).

Agricultural crop residues are a valuable renewable biomass resource. In 1999, American farmers harvested 53,909,000 acres of wheat (1). The straw from this acreage of wheat represents >50 million t annually. Currently, some of the straw is harvested (baled) for use as livestock bedding or low-grade animal feed. However, these low-value uses provide only a... 

Biomass is any material that is directly or indirectly derived from plant life and that is renewable in time periods of less than about 100 years. More conventional energy resources such as oil and coal are also derived from plant life but are not considered renewable. Typical biomass resources are energy crops, farm and agricultural wastes, and municipal wastes. Animal wastes are also biomass materials in that they are derived, either directly or via the food chain, from plants that have been consumed as food. 

Generally, two types of biomass resources can be considered in the discussion on renewable energy feedstock (1) primary biomass, such as energy crops, including switchgrass, poplar, and willow, and (2) biomass residues (primary when derived from wood or processed agricultural biomass secondary when derived from food or fiber processing by-products, or animal waste and tertiary when derived from urban residues).21... 

This entry is organized into three major parts. The first identifies the biomass resources in the form of conventional forestry, agricultural crops and residue, and oil-bearing plants, among others. The second describes the conversion processes of bioresources into biofuels, and it is followed by the end product usage of biofuels in producing electricity in power plants. 

Aquatic crops. A wide variety of aquatic biomass resources exist, such as algae, giant kelp, other seaweed, and marine microflora. Commercial examples include giant kelp extracts for thickeners and food additives, algal dyes, and novel biocatalysts for use in bioprocessing under extreme environments. 

A number of different types of domestic biomass resources (also referred to as feedstocks) are used to produce bioenergy. These include biomass processing residues such as paper and pulp, agricultural and forestry wastes, urban landfill waste and gas, animal (including human) sewage and manure waste, and land and aquatic crops. There are basically two... 

Carhon in the environment is sequestered by plants/biomass in a 1-10 year time frame by photosynthesis using sunlight as the energy source - one year if agricultural crops are used and 10+ years for tree plantations. This is in balance with the rate and timescale of use of the plant/biomass resources to make chemicals and products, and ultimate disposal with release of carbon back to the environment. In contrast, the rate and timescale of carhon sequestration to fossil resources (oil, coal, natural gas) is millions of years, whereas the use and ultimate disposal is in the 1-10 year time frame. This makes the use of fossil carbon resources out of balance and unsustainable. This represents the fundamental, intrinsic value proposition for using biobased carbon from plant/biomass, agricultural crops/residues and algae as opposed to fossil carbon resources. 

Development of fast-growing woody species that can be used year round as the biorefinery feedstock. These feedstocks should enjoy life cycle energy benefits compared to alternative biomass resources such as agricultural crops or residues. 

Since -35 mesh oak sawdust was available locally, it was selected to study the initial variables (temperature, time, biomass load, intrinsic acidity, and acid concentration) needed for IDAHH. Seven raw biomass resources as well as Ce standards, cellulose and starch, were surveyed. These feedstocks have 59.0-73.2% holocellulose and include a hardwood, softwood, perennial energy crop, and an agricultural waste. Switchgrass and corn stover have been deemed as the best quantity biomass resources with the advantage of fast growth, cyclical harvest, and ready availability. However, it is important to note that such crops have a significant protein content which may contribute to catalyst poisoning in our reactions. 

However, if we use annually renewable crops or biomass as the feedstocks for manufacturing our carbon based polymers, chemicals, and fuels, the rate at which CO2 is fixed equals the rate at which it is consumed and liberated - this is sustainable and the use of annually renewable crops/biomass would allows us to manage carbon in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, if we manage our biomass resources effectively by making sure that we plant more biomass (trees, crops) than we utilize, we can begin to start reversing the CO2 rate equation and move towards a net balance between CO2 fixation/sequestration and release due to consumption. Thus, using annually renewable carbon feedstocks allows for ... 

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