Biomass Conversion Technologies Into Energy

Biomass is a renewable energy source that has high enough energy content. Several technologies to convert biomass into electricity can be applied, such as direct combustion, pyrolysis, co-firing, gasification, anaerobic digestion, landfill gas, and modular systems. This technology will be described as follows.

Direct Combustion

The case of direct combustion of biomass into heat has been done by ancestors since the million years ago. They burned wood, leaves for cooking and warm the body. Today, we have a lot more efficient technologies to produce heat through this biomass. Several power plants applied this technique of direct combustion to produce steam.

Initially, biomass burns in the combustion chamber to heat boiler and produces steam heat. Steam will be streamed into steam turbine and connects to the generator and produce electricity.

Direct combustion method can be seen in some plant that uses sugar cane bagasse from sugar manufacturing process. Steam engine produces electricity using steam heat, which rotate the generator wheel. The electricity produced, send partly to sugar plant operation and employee's residence.

Direct combustion method is seen less effective than other methods. This is caused by the size or volume of biomass that is not uniform. Densification process is applied to this method to increase efficiency. The benefits are increase energy and calorific value per unit volume. Densification process usually occurs in biomass waste such as straw, used lumber, shells of coffee, chocolate, pecan, corn waste, and cassava and Jatropha Curcas waste.

Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition process in reactor without oxygen at high temperature. The products are liquid, solid and gas. These products can be converted into electricity through a different way.

Internal combustion engine uses liquid fuels to produce energy such as gasoline motor or diesel engines. To generate electricity, this machine must be connected to the generator. Solid pyrolysis product or called char is converted into energy through direct combustion process as described above. Meanwhile, gas or called synthetic gas produces electricity through a gas turbine.

Today pyrolysis process has reached exciting stage and is known as fast pyrolysis. This process occurs in fast conditions meaning increase speed of rise temperature. Through this method, it could generate oil product 75% higher than conventional pyrolysis. Several companies adopted biomass fast pyrolysis process to gain more benefit than conventional process. Converting 250 tons per day biomass material through fast pyrolysis produces 50 tons of oil. It is equivalent with 314 barrels fossil oil.



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