Biomass

Composition of Municipal Solid Waste

Energy Retrieval from Recycling

Incineration and Incinerator Ash

Secure Landfills

Efficiency of Conversion of Sunlight into Biomass

Methane Digesters

Alternative Biomass Fuels for Vehicles

Wood Combustion

Energy Plantations

Energy in the News

Composition of Urban Garbage

William Rathje Garbologist When did Arizona Residents throw out the most meat?

Composition of Solid Waste: 23 Cities

Waste Generation Rates over Time

Changes in Disposal Methods

Energetics of Recycling and Substitution

Energy Cost of Various Materials
Pape r Cups Ste e l from Ore Aluminum fr om Or e Coppe r from Or e Glass from Ore 36 23 43 4.3 1.3 Styrofoam Cups Ste e l Fr om Scrap Aluminum fr om Scrap Coppe r from Sc rap Glass from Culle t 1 1 1 1 1

Biodegradability

Biodegradability in garbage dumps: an non-issue. Rapid biodegradation: requires oxygen and/or water. Rathje:perfectly preserved years old meat and vegetables!

Waste to Energy Plant

Locked into long term contract: may discourage recycling Fly ash: Bottom ash: Where collected and transported?

Metal in Incinerator Ash

Fly ash: from electrostatic precipitators. Bottom ash: bottom of boiler Which is most dangerous??

Additional concerns: dioxin from burning of chlorine containing compounds (plastics,etc.). Dioxin: carcinogen, endocrine disrupter

Recycling Trivia
Americans consume 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour

If you drink 2 cans ofsoft drink per day in aluminum cans and cans are not recycled,you waste more energy than is used daily by one human in the lesser developed countries Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for 3 hours
Recycling of all paper used in the Sunday edition of the New York Times would save 75,000 trees per year

Fly Ash Dump in Korba India (from power plant)

No vegetation.

Fly Ash Dump in Badarpur, India

Reclaimed using mycorrihizal fungi (bioremediation) Also small amounts of compost. Reduces air pollution from fly ash dump.

Secure Landfill

Black layers on top and bottom: liner Liner thickness: about 1/3 inch Circles on bottom: leachate pipes Note: Gas vent, low permeability soil, filter layer, barrier layer, drainage layer

Percent Trash Disposal in Landfills

Biomass Production vs Energy Use

Uses of biomass Aside from energy?

Biomass to Fuel Conversions

Results: Alcohol (Ethanol) Biogas (Methane) Syngas Gasoline (Biocrude) Diesel Fuel (Plant Oil)

Methods of Biomass to Energy Conversion

Direct combustion
Pyrolysis: thermal decomposition into gas or liquid Involves high temperatures (500-900C), low oxygen Biochemical processes: Anaerobic digestion by methanogens Controlled fermentation produces alcohols: Ethanol (grain alcohol) Methanol (wood alcohol)

Anaerobic Digester
Converts animal or plant waste Into methane
Typical wastes: Manure (feed lots,pig farms, poultry) Olive oil mill waste Potato processing waste Big deal: Agricultural Science Depts

Optimum Operating Temperature

35C, maximum liters of methane per day, best retention time?

Cellulose High Solids Fermenter

Adjusting agitator shaft of high solids fermenter. Produces methane gas, high quality compost from sewage sludge, use 1/20th the water Compared to conventional digesters. Downside: agitator needed.

Energy Used to Grow vs Food Energy

Ethanol from corn: 1.74 per gallon to produce vs 95 cents per gallon Of gasoline. 70% more energy to make ethanol from US corn than energy in ethanol Good use of ethanol: oxidizer to replace MTBE in gasoline 10% ethanol boosts octane rating of gasoline, replaces lead.

Energy Contributions to Bread Loaf

Grain production, Baking, Transport, Milling, Shops, Packaging

Energy in Biomass
Only a small amount energy in sunlight converted into biomass by plants. Conversion efficiency varies: Sugar cane: 2% Corn: 1% Typical forest: 0.8% Most food plants: <0.8% Maximum theoretical efficiency: 10%

Sugar Cane

Sugar cane: very high productivity per acre. Use bagasse (sugar cane waste) to run boilers to boil sap for sugar. Bagasse to energy plants: 7% of Hawaiian energy (Mauritius)

Bagasse to Methane Plant: Hilo, HI

Hemp Plants

Advantages: 4 times as much pulp per acre as wood, no pesticides needed Can make cloth,rope paper. Does need nitrogen fertilizer. Not good to smoke. 1763-1767-Virginia farmers jailed if no hemp grown.

Four Year Old Eucalyptus: Hawaii

Eucalyptus: produce high amounts Of biomass under drier conditions Than hemp. Very hardy species.

Plants as Sources of Petroleum Like Substances

Gopher plant: grows wild in California: 25 barrels of crude oil per hectare
Copaifera multijuga: found in Brazil: produces almost pure diesel fuel Bladderpod: can be used to make plastic Jojoba: 50% oil by weigh: resembles sperm oil: doesnt go rancid

Plastics Made from Pyrolysis Oil (Wood Chip Waste)

Low Cost, Efficient Woodstoves

A India, B. Nepal C. Guatemala, Most of the world cooks with wood. Typical wood stove: Only 10% efficient. Time to collect wood: 2 to 5 hours per day. 80% of fuel use in developing world; wood for cooking. Major cause of deforestation, soil erosion.

Comparable Efficiency Values

Efficiency: multiply by 100.

Rocket Stove vs Three Stone Fire

Rocket Stove: insulated fire box, short chimney, cooks on top of Chimney, skirt surrounds pot. Built in Guatemala.

Rocket Stove

Addition of Haybox
Haybox: insulated box. Food placed in box and left once water heated to boiling point. Food continues to cook without fire. (Why?)

Air Tight Stove

Stove has lower chamber With burning wood, Upper chamber with Secondary combustion Long path for exhaust gas = more complete burning Note high surface area of Stove. About 50% efficient