Logistic Constraints in Developing Dedicated, Large-scale, Bioenergy Systems in the Southeastern USA

1. Logistic Constraints in Developing Dedicated, Large-scale, Bioenergy Systems in the Southeastern USA John S. Cundiff John H. Fike David J. Parrish Jeffrey Alwang

2. Definitions • Biomass – plant-derived material harvested for energy purposes. • Biofuel – energy sources (solid, liquid, or gas) derived from biomass. • Bioenergy – energy resulting from the combustion of biofuel. • Energy crop – any crop that is grown specifically to produce biomass for bioenergy.

3. “We take the position that, although plant-based fuel sources cannot fully replace fossil fuels, if appropriately implemented, they can and will be an important component of future fuel and chemical feedstock supplies.” Biological (organic) material will be of accelerating importance in the future.

4. Three reasons for increasing energy from renewable resources • Energy security • Climate change • Rural economic development

5. Ohio S.R. 220 • 25% of electricity generated in Ohio will be generated with “Advanced Energy Technologies” • 12% of this 25% will come from wind and biomass • 0.5% will come from solar • Where will the remaining 12.5% come from? (The biggest “chunk” will come from nuclear.)

6. Bioenergy can - • Decrease demand for fossil fuels---energy independence • Mitigate emissions of CO2---contributor to global climate change and… many believe they can serve as engines for rural economies

7. Do we want to continue to concentrate our population in urban centers? What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages?

8. How much biomass is out there? DOE suggests that one billion tons/year could be sustainably harvested in the U.S. The largest paper mill in Virginia uses 10,000 tons/day or 3.5 million tons/year (0.35%)

15. What are the two questions you must answer to know how much biomass is available? How much land is available? How much biomass can be produced per unit land area? …Almost two-thirds of the land area in Virginia is covered by forest…

16. Current Forests • 15.8 million acres • 63% of total land area 63%

17. FOREST INDUSTRY (7%) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NATIONAL FOREST (14%) TIMO’s (13%) GOVERNMENT OTHER (2%) ForestLandowners PRIVATE FOREST LANDOWNERS (64%)

18. Contiguous forest patch (Louisa Co, VA) 695 acres

19. 1 Forest patch = 65 forest parcels 10 acres average;0.1 to 90 acres

20. Forest Products Industry • Top employer in Virginia (248,000 jobs) • Employs one of every six manufacturing employees (1st in salary & wages) • Contributes $30.5 billion to VA economy • 6% of Virginia’s gross state product • 27% of industrial establishments in VA manufacture forest products

21. Secondary wood sources such as processing residues (e.g., shavings, sawdust, and bark) and pulping liquors currently account for 50% of U.S. biomass consumed. Forest residue (limbs, tops, weed species trees) produced as a by-product of lumber and pulp harvest may also provide substantial amounts of biomass, but this is possible only on a site-specific basis.

23. Biorefinery – any facility that, on an industrial scale, can convert biologically-derived materials into more immediately useful forms (liquid fuels, biogas, chemicals and monomers). Term will likely evolve to describe facilities that produce liquid fuels (and chemicals).

24. What scale are we talking about?

26. Should genetically modified plants be used for bioenergy?

27. What will be the position of policy makers as bioenergy pushes up food prices? Historically, the U.S. has had cheap energy and cheap food. If you have to choose, which will you choose?

28. U. S. grain used for ethanol represents 4% of global grain production • U. S. grain used for ethanol represents 43% of the increase in global grain consumption from the 2005/06 and 2007/08 marketing years • U. S. consumption of grain for ethanol in 2008 exceeds the total of all grain exports

29. Herbaceous Options • Wheat • Sorghums • Soybean • Sunflower • Corn If all the corn (grain ethanol) and soybeans (biodiesel) grown in the U.S. are used for energy, this would supply only 12% of U. S. energy needs.

30. What is your reaction to the following statement? “Ethanol-from-corn as a national strategy is not sustainable as currently practiced.”

31. Crop residues constitute almost half of agriculture’s contribution to the DOE/USDA billion-ton, biomass-for-biofuels scenario. What are the issues relative to, for example, corn stover collection? Why not do this, it just rots in the field.

33. Suppose I go from the corn stover you just saw to a fuel pellet. (Fuel pellets can be handled using the technology used to handle grain.)

39. Agricultural operations Industrial operations Receiving facility Farm gate SSL Load/haul

40. “Wet” vs. “Dry” Systems • Wood chips – a 20 Mg load of wood chips (40% MC) means the truck is hauling 8 Mg water, 12 Mg dry matter • Switchgrass – a 14.5 Mg load of switchgrass (15% MC) means the truck is hauling 2.2 Mg water, 12.3 Mg dry matter. 12.3 vs. 12 Mg dry matter---the two systems are nearly equivalent.

41. Comparison of Coal and Wood Chip Systems 900 MW coal plant – needs a 100-car unit train every two days 900 MW wood-chip plant – needs a 36-ton truckload of chips every 4 min 15 trucks/h x 10 h/d = 150 trucks/d

42. Pittsylvania Power Station 80 MW 150 chip vans per day (averages one every 4 minutes for 10-h day)

43. What would have to happen to build a 8 MW wood-fired electric generating plant on the VT campus?

45. What about a system that emulates the Roanoke trash train?

49. Distributed storage – there is a cost advantage to minimizing at-plant storage Where is the coal storage for the 1 5 MW VT coal plant? Around-the-clock delivery – BIG issue relative to a bioenergy plant. How will this be accomplished?

50. We will now change gears. We are going to integrate issues from other disciplines with the “purely” technical issues.