DOE Offers $7 Million for Biomass Pyrolysis Research

DOE-EERE, April 17, 2008
DOE released a solicitation on April 17 that offers up to $7 million over the next two years to support research into improved methods of biomass pyrolysis -- a process that uses heat to chemically decompose biomass materials, such as wood chips, into an oily liquid. This "bio-oil" is a complex mixture of oxygenated hydrocarbons that can be upgraded to fuels such as gasoline and diesel fuel using conventional oil refinery processes. However, bio-oil can be corrosive to storage tanks, and when stored for a period of time, it typically becomes more viscous or can even turn into a solid. In addition, bio-oil typically contains small particles of charred biomass residue, and minerals in the char can catalyze reactions that degrade the quality of the bio-oil.

The new DOE solicitation will support the development of enhanced pyrolysis methods or inexpensive post-pyrolysis processing techniques that will result in a less corrosive bio-oil with greater stability. Such an improved bio-oil would be more practical to store, transport, and upgrade into motor fuels. DOE anticipates that five to seven applicants will be selected, and with a minimum 20% cost share from the applicants, roughly $8.75 million will be invested in these projects. Applications are due on May 29. See the DOE press release and the Funding Opportunity Announcement at Grants.gov.
Original text found at: http://www.eere.energ...

am i overthinking this or are we going to use biomass needed to replenish soils, esp. in the wake of higher fertilizer costs, for liquid fuels?

if pyrolysis really takes off, aren't we creating a draw on the very minerals needed ultimately to grow more food? are we looking at another ethanol-like series of unintended consequences with biomass pyrolysis?

That discussion absolutely needs to happen out in the open where everyone can see it, hear it, and take a whack at it.

"am i overthinking this or are we going to use biomass needed to replenish soils, esp. in the wake of higher fertilizer costs, for liquid fuels?

if pyrolysis really takes off, aren't we creating a draw on the very minerals needed ultimately to grow more food?"

After Pyrolysis, much of the orginal minerals remain. Potassium, iron, manganese, magnesium.... often they are very water soluble. This is why wood ash is useful as a fertilizer & has been the motivation with slash-and-burn farming around round the world. There are still very significant amount of organic celluose remaining in the root systems left behind by the plants.

There is an alternative and equally as ancient methodology that not only releases nutrients like slash-and-burn but leads to sequestering future soil nutrients, it is called slash-and-char. There is evidence this process was used on a wide scale in pre-Columbian upper amazon for thousands of years. even today these soils are wonderfully productive with no active fertilization. these sites are referred to as "terra preta soils". direct interment of pyrolysed carbon is beneficial because the carbon once introduced into the soil, sequesters the nutrients release by the normal biological actions on soil by bacterium. The modern term for deliberate introduction of carbon is bio-char or agrichar. there is a developing world wide movement to make this a major part of a sustainable agricultural model. There are other incentives to this approach as well, for every 1000kg of biomass that is pyrolyzed , 200-400 KG of carbon remains. This can be a major carbon sink to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide.

When biomass is pyrolyzed it produces large quantities of gases, water and pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil is actually not oil but wide range of hydrogen containing molecular fragments from the original material. It is more accurate to refer to is as Pyrolysis Fluid. Pyrolysis fluid is a dark brown, mobile liquid containing much of the energy content of the original biomass, with a heating value about half that of conventional fuel oil. Conversion of raw biomass to pyrolysis oil represents a considerable increase in energy density and it can thus represent a more efficient form in which to transport it. Since the thermal process breaks the chemical bonds in the original bio-mass, it is chemically reactive. This chemical reactivity leads to it's thickening and acid attack on storage vessels.

kriss