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Biomass includes all plant and plant-derived material. Particularly for the sugar platform, knowing the properties of the biomass feedstock is critical for understanding the biomass as a chemical and energy source. For the present and near future, easily processed agricultural crops and low- or negative-cost industrial residues will likely dominate biomass feedstocks. In the mid-term, agricultural and forestry residues should provide the large volume to enable the biomass industry to expand to make more substantial contributions to production of fuels, chemicals, materials and power. Biomass Program research therefore currently focuses on residue harvesting, collection, and transport, and other aspects of the feedstock interface between agriculture and forestry and biomass industries. In the long term, a mature biorefinery industry should command growth of dedicated energy crops. Biomass Program researchers have done considerable research on fast-growing trees and grasses, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture is now taking on primary responsibility for additional research in this area. Understanding resource availability is critical for planning for both feedstock production and for development of biomass industry, and Biomass Program analysts are at the center of assessment efforts.
Biomass is a sustainable feedstock for energy products that could enrich the future of the United States and the world. The effort by the Biomass Program focuses on the feedstock supply of lignocellulosic biomass such as corn stover, straw, or wood, that can be converted into energy products (i.e. fuels, chemicals, and power) through sugar or thermochemical platforms. Biomass feedstocks in the U.S. primarily consist of forest, mill and agricultural residues, urban wood wastes, and dedicated energy crops. Industrial residues such as black liquor from wood pulping, and animal manures can also be considered as biomass resources. The biomass potentially available depends on many considerations including, ease of collection and removal, transportation, sustainability or effects of removal, and desired characteristics.
Biomass Program analysts estimate that 512 million dry tons of biomass equivalent to 8.09 quads of primary energy could initially be available at less than $50/dry ton delivered (Walsh et al. 2000, 2003, Ugarte et al. 2003). Of this, 36.8 million dry tons (0.63 Quads) of urban wood wastes were available in 1999. In the wood, paper, and forestry industrial sectors, they estimate that 90.5 million dry tons (1.5 Quads) of primary mill residues were available in 1999 and 45 million dry tons (0.76 Quads) of forest residues were available at a delivered price of less than $50/dry ton. An estimated 150.7 million dry tons (2.3 Quads) of agricultural residues (corn stover and wheat straw) would be available annually. A joint U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy (Ugarte et al. 2003) (PDF 3.53 MB) Download Acrobat Reader evaluation of the potential to produce biomass energy crops estimated 188 million dry tons (2.9 Quads) of biomass could be available annually at delivered prices of less than $50/dry ton by the year 2008. A county-level database of potential energy crop resources is available at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a county-level database of multiple resources will be available soon. State-level information can also be obtained at the EERE website.
The ability to cost-effectively collect, store, and transport biomass feedstocks presents many challenges. A biobased industry will require a safe and sustainable supply system. Research and Development in this area is designed to overcome the engineering systems barriers of collection, delivery, and storage of agricultural residues. Our focus includes developing single-pass multi-component selective harvest capabilities and evaluating the requirements and performance characteristics of bulk processing and storage systems. In addition, as outlined in a Roadmap for Agriculture Biomass Feedstock Supply in the United States (PDF 18.9 MB) we will develop the analytical tools for optimizing overall logistics of the infrastructure system. For additional information on R&D in this area, visit the websites at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
The characteristics of biomass feedstocks are important for processing biomass to energy. For example, co-firing applications would best be served by biomass low in ash content and high in lignin whereas conversion of biomass to liquid fuels is affected by the composition of sugars. For research being conducted at the national laboratories, visit the websites of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL, INEEL, and ORNL. Additional information on feedstock characteristics may be found at:
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