Assessment of the Most Adequate Pre-Treatments and Woody Biomass Sources Intended for Direct Co-Firing in the U.S.

Abstract

There is increasing interest in replacing coal with woody biomass in cofiring plants for electrical power. A variety of pre-treatments can be used to make biomass more suitable for co-firing. This research presents a model that evaluates the delivered costs of various pre-treated biomass sources, electricity production costs, and constraints, and calculates a least cost mix. Results of the scenario presented indicate that wood chips are the most economical co-firing option for delivering biomass to direct-fired boilers. Apart from potential feeding and processing issues, the wood-chips options of forest residues present the lowest cost of electricity production for small-scale co-firing applications. From the options that will ensure minimum processing issues in the co-firing cycle, wood pellets from southern yellow pine represent the most economical choice. Based on coal displacement from the facility, torrefied wood pellets from southern yellow pine is a preferred option as compared to other choices evaluated. An alternative to torrefied wood pellets from southern yellow pine is dark torrefied Eucalyptus benthamii, providing similar electricity production costs while reducing coal utilization.

Analytical inventory of process variables for sustainable development of a small business for integrated production of wood pellets

“…The functional and structural analysis of the energetic willow crop process have considered the technical recommendations of SUNY-ESF, [3], while that for the wood pellets micro-production process have considered technical data published by Piraglia et al, [4]. Not at last, some specific system/process/function decomposition rules have been considered in developing the right above mentioned process model.…”

Locational determinants for wood pellet plants: A review and case study of North and South America

“…Of the biomass feedstock types, wood pellets from southern yellow pine present minimum processing issues and are more economical than alternatives; also the torrefied pellets from yellow pine have higher energy density and are thus ideal for displacing coal (Pirraglia et al 2012). Research related specifically to wood pellet production have identified a range of typical product characteristics, such as density, moisture, and ash content, their associated production processes, including drying, grinding, conditioning, pelletizing, screening for fine separation, and packaging/sorting (less common production aspects include bonding, adhesive mechanisms, and thermal treatments), as well as their financial cost characteristics (Stelte et al 2012;Hughes et al 2014).…”

“…Financial analysis of wood pellet production is scant; however, existing research identifies biomass feedstock (made up of harvesting cost, stumpage price, and transportation) as the most important cost component, followed by labor, energy (electricity and natural gas), consumables, depreciation, and taxes (Pirraglia et al 2010(Pirraglia et al , 2012Uasuf and Becker 2011;Stelte et al 2012;Trømborg et al 2013;Qian and McDow 2013). With regards to servicing international markets, transportation and supply chain logistics play significant roles (Thek and Obernberger 2004;Hoque et al 2006;Gonzalez et al 2011).…”

Cavacos e partículas de madeira – concentração mundial de mercado e contribuição para a balança comercial brasileira

“…Produtos tradicionalmente responsáveis pela parte mais significativa do consumo mundial nas últimas décadas. Atualmente, o consumo desses insumos tende a aumentar em virtude da busca por fontes alternativas de energia renováveis e menos poluidoras que possam atender a crescente demanda energética mundial, sendo a madeira uma fonte promissora e em destaque para esse fim (KINOSHITA et al, 2010;POUDEL et al, 2015).…”