Ethical Dilemma Say Researchers

14 April 2011

Second generation biofuels that use waste as a feedstocks could be the answer to ‘unethical practices’ that are encouraged by current policies on biofuels, according a report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

The UK based Nuffield Council on Bioethics examines ethical issues raised by new developments in biology and medicine, and in 2009 established a working party to examine the ethical issues raised by biofuels. The report – Biofuels: ethical issues – has been published recently following an 18 month inquiry.

According to the report policies such as the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED) are particularly weak when it comes to protecting the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding human rights violations in developing countries.

Critically, the report also claims that such policies include few incentives for the development of new biofuel technologies that could help avoid such problems.

“Biofuels are one of the only renewable alternatives we have for transport fuels such as petrol and diesel, but current policies and targets that encourage their uptake have backfired badly,” said Professor Joyce Tait, who led the inquiry.

Tait cites the rapid expansion of biofuels production in the developing world as a cause of deforestation and displacement of indigenous people, and adds that a more sophisticated strategy that considers the wider consequences of biofuel production is needed.

However, the report goes on to say that research into a second generation of biofuels has the potential to provide feedstocks that:

• Do not compete with food
• Have a high energy yield with low inputs of water, land and fertiliser etc.
• Do not negatively affect the environment or local populations
• Can be produced in sufficient quantities to allow economically viable biofuels production.

New research

1. Biofuels development should not be at the expense of human rights
2. Biofuels should be environmentally sustainable
3. Biofuels should contribute to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
4. Biofuels should adhere to fair trade principles
5. Costs and benefits of biofuels should be distributed in an equitable way.

Joule Unlimited is located in Kendall Square, Cambridge, among a stretch of older buildings dubbed “Life Sciences Square” in the neighborhood of many pharmaceutical companies. Having an infrastructure, such as third-party companies to do DNA sequencing, around genetic engineering helps the company rapidly identify promising strains.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Small scale, distributed anaerobic digestion plants could offer an environmentally and economically stable solution for locally produced biogas. In Germany government incentives have led to the development of over 6000 anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities, generating twice as much power as all of the country’s waste to energy facilities combined.

However many of these are large scale, 1 MW plus facilities, and the proliferation of such plants has affected both tipping fees for food waste – which have fallen from between Eur 60 to 80 per tonne down to Eur 10 to 20 per tonne – and biocrop prices to such an extent as to put many at risk of becoming economically unviable.

According to Craig Benton of Composting and Recycling Consultants, mini-biogas facilities could offer the ideal solution for farm waste. Speaking at the Energy from Biomass and Waste Conference in London today, Benton claimed that most vendors of anaerobic digestion and biogas equipment offer systems starting at around 250 kW.

In most farm applications, such systems lead to a dependence on importing feedstocks from the surrounding area which can be economically risky. However, Benton claimed that a new system from Austrian firm, Bio4gas could offer the ideal solution. Available in two sizes – 20/25 kW and 50 kW – the system enables farmers to use animal slurry from their own farm to generate heat, power and digestate. At the heart of the product is the patented ‘Thermal Gas Lift’ – a passive mixing system that Benton said offers reduced energy consumption through the use of gas pressure to force the slurry mixture through holes in the bottom.

The smaller of the two systems features a 220 cubic metre tank that is dug into the ground and holds 180 cubic metres of material. In addition a double chamber digester produces more biogas than a single tank.

According to Benton the advantages offered by a more distributed approach to biogas are significant, with potential returns on investment ranging between 12.5% and 16.4% based on conservative figures. Benton added that small scale biogas production could free the operator from the “whims of the market”, insulating them from rising biocrop prices and the prospect of falling tipping fees. Additionally, as all of the feedstock is sourced from the host farm itself, the digestate can be used to fertilise the farmer’s own land with no solid waste permit or license is required

from raw sewage

Here’s something rather important that you might not know: there may be a worldwide phosphorus shortage within the next few decades. The majority of the world’s phosphorus is currently mined from non-renewable phosphate rock deposits, and widely used in crop fertilizers. Scientists have begun to question just how much more phosphorus is left, and what the agriculture industry will do once it runs out. The answer – or some of it, at least – could be bobbing in a pool of raw sewage. Ostara, a Canadian nutrient recovery company, has developed a method for harvesting phosphorus from municipal wastewater and converting it to fertilizer.

The Process

Ostara’s PEARL Nutrient Recycling Process, developed at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia, utilizes something called a proprietary fluidized bed reactor. The cone-shaped device is installed in a wastewater treatment plant, where it removes ammonia and most of the phosphorus from untreated sewage. Magnesium is added within the reactor, creating a concrete-like substance known as struvite. This struvite, in turn, is processed into a nitrogen/phosphorus/magnesium slow-release fertilizer sold as Crystal Green. Ostara claims that numerous trials have proven the fertilizer to be safe, and because of its slow-release properties, it stays in the soil instead of running off into waterways.

Cleaner water

The removal of so much phosphorus, needless to say, makes the wastewater that much cleaner when it finally returns to the natural environment. Hopefully, Ostara’s system should decrease the occurrence of toxic blue-green algae blooms, which can occur when wastewater containing too many nutrients enters a body of water such as a river. While wastewater treatment plants already remove much of the phosphorus and other nutrients, the installation of a reactor would greatly reduce the bioload on the plant, allowing it to save a poopload (sorry) of power and operating costs.

Less blockages

While struvite is produced on purpose inside reactors, it also occurs naturally when phosphorus and nitrogen combine with magnesium in a wastewater treatment plant’s sludge stream. This unasked-for struvite clogs lines and valves, reduces flow rates, and has to be removed either mechanically, or by running acid through the lines. By harvesting most of the phosphorus, a reactor is said to virtually eliminate struvite build-up, further lowering the plant’s operating costs, and increasing its capacity.

The system in use

With the combination of reduced operating costs, extra processing capacity, and revenue generated by fertilizer production, Ostara claims that a wastewater treatment plant utilizing a PEARL reactor could exceed $1 million in net savings per year. And it isn’t all just theoretical, either – Edmonton, Alberta’s Gold Bar wastewater treatment plant has been using a reactor since 2007, and has seen good results. Every day, the reactor extracts over 80% of the phosphorus and 15% of the ammonia from 500,000 liters of sludge (20% of the plant’s total sludge stream), and converts it to 500 kg (1,102 lbs) of ready-to-use Crystal Green. Pilot plants have also proven successful in British Columbia, Virginia and Oregon.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Poo isn’t something generally talked about in polite company but like it or not, all of that human waste has to go somewhere. In smaller rural communities, it usually goes to wastewater lagoon systems; the alternative is mechanical treatment plants which process waste far more quickly but are expensive, labor intensive and often use chemicals. Enter the “Poo-Gloo,” or Bio-Dome as it is officially known – an igloo-shaped device that can reportedly clean up sewage as effectively, but far more cheaply, than its mechanical counterparts. The Poo-Gloo, developed by Wastewater Compliance Systems, Inc., uses a combination of air, dark environment and large surface area to encourage the growth of a bacterial biofilm which consumes the wastewater pollutants. It is claimed that Poo-Gloos can treat pollutants just as quickly as mechanical plants while operating at a fraction of the cost – hundreds of dollars a month rather than thousands – and can be retrofitted to existing lagoon systems.

Poo-Gloos treat sewage as quickly and effectively as mechanical plants, but cost less

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Biodiesel Co-Products

Science (Oct. 9, 2007) — Biofuel research isn’t just a matter of finding the right type of biomass—corn grain, soybean oil, animal fat, wood or other material—and converting it into fuel. Scientists must also find environmentally and economically sound uses for the by-products of biofuel production. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists Brian Kerr and William Dozier have done just that.

Current biodiesel supplies are often made from the triglycerides, or fat, found in soybean oil. But processing biodiesel from soybean oil also yields crude glycerin, also known as glycerol, which has a purity level of about 85 percent. It also contains small amounts of salt, methanol and free fatty acids. If glycerol is refined to 99 percent purity, it can be used in many products, including pharmaceuticals, foods, drinks, cosmetics and toiletries.

Kerr, Dozier and Iowa State University colleague Kristjan Bregendahl studied whether crude glycerin could be used to supplement the feed of laying hens, broilers and swine. They found that crude glycerin provided a supply of caloric energy that equaled or exceeded the caloric energy available in corn grain. Feeds containing up to 10 percent glycerin had little to no adverse effect on laying hen egg production or broiler body weight gain. Pig body weight gain, carcass composition and meat quality also showed little to no adverse change after equivalent levels of crude glycerin were added to their feed.

Safe levels for salt, methanol and free fatty acids in crude glycerin consumed by nonruminant livestock still need to be determined. But as corn grain ethanol production and conversion soar, corn grain supplies for livestock feed are decreasing. Using crude glycerin to supplement feed supplies could provide livestock producers with a readily available, inexpensive and energy- packed alternative to corn grain.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

On Crude ‘Oil’ From Pig Manure

Science (June 17, 2008) — After a close examination of crude oil made from pig manure, chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are certain about a number of things. Most obviously, “This stuff smells worse than manure,” says NIST chemist Tom Bruno.

But a job’s a job, so the NIST team has developed the first detailed chemical analysis revealing what processing is needed to transform pig manure crude oil into fuel for vehicles or heating. Mass production of this type of biofuel could help consume a waste product overflowing at U.S. farms, and possibly enable cutbacks in the nation’s petroleum use and imports. But, according to a new NIST paper, pig manure crude will require a lot of refining.

The ersatz oil used in the NIST analyses was provided by engineer Yuanhui Zhang of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Zhang developed a system using heat and pressure to transform organic compounds such as manure into oil.

As described in the new paper, Bruno and colleagues determined that the pig manure crude contains at least 83 major compounds, including many components that would need to be removed, such as about 15 percent water by volume, sulfur that otherwise could end up as pollution in vehicle exhaust, and lots of char waste containing heavy metals, including iron, zinc, silver, cobalt, chromium, lanthanum, scandium, tungsten and minute amounts of gold and hafnium. Whatever the pigs eat, from dirt to nutritional supplements, ends up in the oil.

While the thick black liquid may look like its petroleum-based counterparts, the NIST study shows that looks can be deceiving. “The fact that pig manure crude oil contains a lot of water is unfavorable. They would need to get the water out,” Bruno says.

The measurements were made with a new NIST test method and apparatus, the advanced distillation curve, which provides highly detailed and accurate data on the makeup and performance of complex fluids. A distillation curve charts the percentage of the total mixture that evaporates as a sample is slowly heated. Because the different components of a complex mixture typically have different boiling points, a distillation curve gives a good measure of the relative amount of each component in the mixture. NIST chemists enhanced the traditional technique by improving precision and control of temperature measurements and adding the capability to analyze the chemical composition of each boiling fraction using a variety of advanced methods.

NIST researchers analyzed the graphite-like char remaining after the distillation by bombarding it with neutrons, a non-destructive way of identifying the types and amounts of elements present. Two complementary neutron methods detected the heavy metals listed above.

Bruno and colleagues currently spend much of their time analyzing military jet fuels and are not planning a major foray into pig manure. But Bruno concedes that the effort may have a payoff. “Who knows, it might help decrease the nuisance of manure piles.”

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Chicken manure to energy

Environmentally friendly, climate neutral and reliable: For the first time ever on display world wide at VIV Europe will be a gasification system which transforms biomass for example from poultry manure into energy. The clou of the Big Dutchman innovation is that, except for nitrogen, all the components which are important for fertilisation are preserved in the residual ash. Genuine dual use is thus achieved – quite independently of wind and sunshine.

The manure is dried, pressed into pellets and conveyed to a gasifier where it is converted into gas by means of thermochemical conversion. The only by-product which remains is ash – which is a very valuable fertiliser. Subsequently the energy produced in this way is processed in the combined heat and power plant (CHP) to generate electricity and heat. Furthermore, in addition to chicken manure, other by-products such as digestate from biogas plants or sugar cane can also be used for the same purpose.

The result is extremely impressive: The amount of energy produced in a 150 kW gasifier allows to supply thermal energy for 25 households for more than one year (maximum 10 kW heat output) and to provide 200 households one year long with electricity (at an annual average use of 0.75 kW per household).

Hall 12C.050

150 kW gasification system with conveyor belt, switching and control cabinet, gasifier, gas cooling and gas cleaning (from left to right)

Sourced & published  by Henry Sapiecha

Waste into Valuable Fuel

Science (Feb. 4, 2008) — CSIRO and Monash University have developed a chemical process that turns green waste into a stable bio-crude oil. The bio-crude oil can be used to produce high value chemicals and biofuels, including both petrol and diesel replacement fuels.

“By making changes to the chemical process, we’ve been able to create a concentrated bio-crude which is much more stable than that achieved elsewhere in the world,” says Dr Steven Loffler of CSIRO Forest Biosciences.

“This makes it practical and economical to produce bio-crude in local areas for transport to a central refinery, overcoming the high costs and greenhouse gas emissions otherwise involved in transporting bulky green wastes over long distances.”

The process uses low value waste such as forest thinnings, crop residues, waste paper and garden waste, significant amounts of which are currently dumped in landfill or burned.

“By using waste, our Furafuel technology overcomes the food versus fuel debate which surrounds biofuels generated from grains, corn and sugar,” says Dr Loffler.

“The project forms part of CSIRO’s commitment to delivering cleaner energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by improving technologies for converting waste biomass to transport fuels.”

The plant wastes being targeted for conversion into biofuels contain chemicals known as lignocellulose, which is increasingly favoured around the world as a raw material for the next generation of bio-ethanol.

Lignocellulose is both renewable and potentially greenhouse gas neutral. It is predominantly found in trees and is made up of cellulose; lignin, a natural plastic; and hemicellulose.

CSIRO and Monash University will apply to patent the chemical processes underpinning the conversion of green wastes to bio-crude oil once final laboratory trials are completed.

The research to date is supported by funding from CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship program, Monash University, Circa Group and Forest Wood Products Australia.

National Research Flagships CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions in response to Australia’s major research challenges and opportunities. The nine Flagships form multidisciplinary teams with industry and the research community to deliver impact and benefits for Australia.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

From Food Industry Waste

Science (Mar. 31, 2009) — The AZTI-Tecnalia technological centre, experts in food research, have put a biogas plant into operation in order to investigate novel systems of sustainable energy production based on the use of waste and sub-products from the food industry.

This new plant exploits the enormous potential of obtaining biogas from the organic matter contained in agricultural food waste, and will help the food industry to reduce the environmental impact caused by organic waste.

The plant, located at the AZTI-Tecnalia premises in Derio, aims to obtain biogas rich in methane by the process of anaerobic digestion* of the organic material contained in the sub-products from food, in order to transform it into electrical and heat energy. In the same way, for 2010, the technological centre foresees adapting the plant and making a commitment to that renewable source of energy which has seen the greatest surge in recent years: hydrogen. So, the aim is to be able to obtain hydrogen and methane from the same combined fermentation process.

AZTI-Tecnalia specialists are thus researching the viability of obtaining benefit from a number of agricultural food sub-products, alone or in combination (co-digestion) with other elements from various sources, such as sludge from purifying plants or food waste from mass consumption. Amongst others are mixtures from animal husbandry silage (purines), together with waste from agricultural food industries (leftovers from fruit and vegetable markets, milk whey, fish ends, aquaculture waste, etc.

With the biogas plant it is possible to reduce the environmental impact caused by organic waste. The emissions of greenhouse effect gases into the atmosphere are reduced, smells are considerably reduced and the final value of the waste is enhanced, As a consequence, the industry can adapt itself to environmental and social requisites, at the same time as its processes are more efficient through making better use of available resources.

The plant is available to government bodies and to food enterprises and environmental services who are interested in developing R+D projects applied to the energy valuation of food sub-products, with the aim of obtaining information for decision-making in the installation of this kind of plant at an industrial scale.

AZTI-Tecnalia is supporting the food industry in sustainable development, implementing measures to enhance its environmental performance. The biogas plant complements the activities undertaken by the centre at its food processing pilot plant, in which valuation trials of sub-products as new sources of raw materials for transformed foodstuffs are also carried out. Likewise, more profitable and innovative options are being sought in order to manage subproducts and waste generated by the food industry and studies of the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the products are undertaken, analysing where the main costs and environmental impacts lie, and proposing, in consequence, situations for the enhancement and optimisation of the process.

* Anaerobic digestion is a biological process which transforms organic material into biogas and into a digested sludge, which can be used as organic enhancement in agricultural applications. Biogas mainly consists of carbon dioxide and methane, the latter with a high calorific value and which, thereby, can be used as a renewable source of electrical and/or thermal energy, or as a fuel for vehicles.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha