In Pursuit of BioEnergy

The quest for energy sources that emit negligible net greenhouse gases has focused considerable interest on biomass, energy from sources such as agricultural and forestry harvesting residues, animal manure, human sewerage and purpose grown crops.

Bioenergy is a form of solar energy - photosynthesis is a chemical process that binds atmospheric carbon dioxide to form biomass.

Globally, biomass and renewable wastes currently supply 11 per cent of primary energy needs. Several industrialised countries meet a substantial proportion of their energy needs from biomass, for example Finland fills over 22 per cent of its primary energy consumption from biomass.

Biomass, besides being essentially carbon dioxide neutral, also has significant other socio-economic benefits, such as regional development and permanent jobs mainly in rural areas. Other benefits are establishing linkages with land repair and salinity control, assisting with maintaining biodiversity and animal habitats, and production of co-products such as biofertilisers and saleable ash.

The OECD has some 25 GW (gigawatts) of installed bioelectricity capacity.  A total of 90 per cent of modern biomass facilities employ combustion technologies, with the balance made up of landfill gas, biogas and, more recently, gasification technologies, which directly convert biomass into a combustible fuel for use in engines and gas turbines.

Australia’s biomass generation mix has some 368 MW (megawatts) of sugar cane bagasse generation, 103 MW landfill gas, 77 MW black liquor, 26 MW sewage gas, and 9 MW wood waste. Bioenergy currently comprises approximately one percent of Australia's electricity generation capacity.

Australia has been at the forefront of bioenergy innovation, with projects including a 1.5 MW macadamia nut shell power plant in Gympie, Queensland and an integrated wood processing plant at Narrogin, Western Australia which, when complete, will generate electricity, with co-products of eucalyptus oil (used as an industrial solvent) and activated carbon.

In recent years, considerable effort has led to higher efficiencies and lower cost technologies. At the forefront of these developments has been pyrolysis bio-oil firing of gas turbines, integrated biomass gasification combined cycle plants, biomass co-firing with fossil fuels, and anaerobic digestion of wet wastes.

Transportation fuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, have also become important supplements to petroleum products.

Bioenergy developments will be in the spotlight at the forthcoming Bioenergy Australia 2004 Conference, Building the Australian Bioenergy Industry, in Adelaide from 29 November to 1 December. Professor Tony Bridgwater of the European PyNE network will deliver the keynote address, with well known Professor Ralph Sims of New Zealand acting as moderator for two extended forums.

The conference incorporates the 3^rd International Pyrolysis and Bio-oil Workshop and includes some 55 presentations spanning most aspects of bioenergy.

The program and registration details of Australia’s foremost bioenergy conference are at www.bioenergyaustralia.org.  For further details contact Dr Stephen Schuck (02) 9416 9246, email: sschuck@bigpond.net.au.

Global primary energy supplies (source IEA)




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