The Dawn of the Bio-Based Economy

Magazine: The Bioenergy International

Publication month: February 2012

Article title: "The Dawn of the Bio-Based Economy"

Article author: Lennart Ljungholm

Translation and abstracts edited by: Giovanni Bizzotto and Marco Terzariol (Class 3 ° C)

Institute: Liceo "Tito Lucrezio Caro" - Cittadella


ABSTRACT

RWE-Essent is a company that uses nuclear, fossil fuels and renewable energy sources to produce energy. Among the latter Essent has invested in pellets and biomass in support of the activity promoted by the European Union in the bio-economy, ie a more ecological and sustainable form of producing energy through biological processes.

Using both pellets and biomass, RWE-Essent has set itself the goal of reducing CO2 emissions. The company has the great project of increasing the use of these renewable sources which will result in numerous benefits such as the reduction of production costs and energy consumption.

In this context DSM, a Dutch company has developed a new mixture based on enzymes and yeast to break down the biomass.

RWE-Essent has numerous plants all over the world and is investing huge amounts of money in some of these to increase the use of pellets and biomass and thus increase energy production through renewable sources. Biomass, therefore, represents a profitable source of sustainable energy and with the expected developments one day can cover a large part of the world's energy needs and it is in this direction that the Essent is shifting its investments.

The dawn of the bio-economy

The RWE-Essent has convened a conference at their Amer plant in Geertruidenburg, near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Essent is a subsidiary of the German RWE and is very active all over the world in services.

Essent is a pioneer in bioenergy in the Netherlands, having opened its first biomass plant in Quijk in 1999.

Now that there has been an agreement and a temporary agreement between government and industry, awaiting permanent standards regarding renewable resources in the Netherlands, Essent invests more in co-firing and implements its plants for new projects.

The RWE-Essent has set up a very interesting program to share experiences and to discuss where the future of bioenergy is headed.

The European Union has promoted an activity called "economy based on biological processes". This action plan was expected to start in early 2012.

More than 200 operators participated, most of whom are involved either in the use of pellets or in their production or in the transport of pellets.

"We live in an interesting, but often interesting, era that is full of problems," was the opening comment by the Canadian Douglas Bradley who presided over the first assembly of the first day.

"But the solutions are close," he said.

Canadian entrepreneur John Swaan has shown that it has been possible for long-distance pellet trade since no more than a decade since Swaan sent the first pellet ship from British Columbia to western Canada to Helsingborg in the south of Sweden.

Today we are witnessing a great activity in the pellet industry with large investments.

Purpose 50 percent

Dr. Nina Skorupska, technology director and Executive Member of the Essent management, welcomed the participants to the Amer power plant.

"In this plant, we use two biomass technologies, gasification and co-combustion of pellets. We have prepared the ambitious goal of increasing co-firing at 50% ".

"Essent has invested 130 million euros in the last 10 years in the use of biomass and has avoided the injection of one million tons of carbon dioxide. In 1999 we opened our plant in Quijk, which has a capacity of 25 MW, "said Dr. Skorupska.

RWE uses 4 fake energy products: renewables, nuclear, coal and natural gas.

The doctor was very happy when the Ecological Pact was signed in the Netherlands between the state and the industries.

Another important point in favor of the Dutch is the biological processes economy. Nina Skorupska stated that RWE / Essent is one of the leading investors.

Biological processes economy (BBE)

Roel Bol, Director of the Department of Bio-Economy at the Ministry of Business, Agriculture and Innovation presented the concept of economics to biological processes in more detail.
The principle is quite simple: from fossil fuels as a basis for producing energy, we switch to bio-material.
There are many ways in this area, highlighted Bol:

- Innovation and economic development
- Energy security
- Environmental Policy - Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
- Occupation
- Territorial and agricultural action plans
- Energy cost
- Declining fossil fuel reserves
- Resolution of carbon dioxide emissions

To set up an appropriate process, one must first focus on the highest added value of the biomass utilization program
This type of economy requires small volumes but is high added value, such as the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industry, compared to that for food production and feeding, for bioplastics, for most chemicals and fuels and finally for electricity and heating, which need a large volume but have a lower market value
There is a need for mutual interaction between companies (chemical, agricultural, energy and paper), science and society and NGO's, each of which is linked to the bio-economy department.

The Dutch Government is taking firm control of the subjects and has initiated a program with six guidelines.

1. The supply of biomass, to identify the top 10 among biomasses and their availability
2.The application of biomasses listed in the same way
3. The sustainability of the whole process
4. The verification of possible competitors among emerging nations
5. A research and an information program
6. The instruments of the action plan must be consistent and consistent.

The European Union has the ambition to set up a plan as early as February 2012. A public meeting was held in May 2011 and Member States presented their views.

DSM - chemical company with large bioambitions

The concept was further developed by DSM, the Dutch chemical colossus, which claims to be a leading yeast company and one of the three best enzymes.
They have developed a new and effective mixture of enzymes to break down biomass more efficiently and a yeast capable of converting C5 and C6 sugars.
Peter Von Paridon, the business administrator for DSM Biogas, said that they aim to become an integrated primary supplier for advanced bioenergy and a creator and manufacturer of chemicals and polymers based on organic products.
In his speech, he also highlighted the expected rapid growth of biogas and also in this sector the DSM has an available technology.

Extraordinary projects of the RWE Innogy (innovative energy)

Paul Coffey managing director of RWE Innogy presented the company, which was founded in early 2008 and today, with 1400 employees, is growing very rapidly. For the biomass business, the key is to secure the raw material to obtain energy guarantees and diversify the sources.
The biomass used in the older plants has reduced capital needs compared to the production of wind energy through sea and land wind which can reach 3 million / Megawatt.
In Waycross, Georgia, U.S. RWE Innogy has invested 120 million US dollars in a power plant with an annual capacity of 750000 tons.
According to Coffey, the plant is appropriately located as 1.5 million tons of necessary wood fiber can be found within a radius of 80 Km.
Today the best fuel
Coffey noted that pellets may not be the optimal fuel, but this is the best nowadays. In addition, the plant can be upgraded with a roasting department.
The RWE needs a biomass and here, at the conference site, it was said that the Amer 8 plant burns 25% and Amer 9 35%. It has also been hypothesized that Amer 9 can increase its percentage up to 50% by 2015.

Subsequently, the goal is even higher, 80%. The Tillbury plant in the UK will be fully converted and will be able to use more than 1.4 million tonnes of biomass per year with goodwill at the beginning of 2012.
Looking ahead, the RWE plants in Germany will have a combustion potential of 14 million tonnes of pellets per year by 2020. To reach those levels, profitability must be as good as fuel; roasting can become the key element of the game.
In Duiven, the Netherlands, RWE owns part of the Toppel bio-coal plant which is about to start today.

Business operators needed

Remco Franken, who operates in the commercial activity and in the offer of RWE, stressed in his speech that to achieve the European targets by 2020 all the different renewable energy sources must be used. Among these, biomass has a favorable cost balance. To complete the operation without complications it is important to be able to commercialize the pellet. It is desirable to arrive at the exchange of supplies whenever possible but there is a need for experienced traders. Pellets are also not an effective economic asset.

Fundamental changes necessary

Essent's Wim Willeboer pointed out that there is not a single problem and a single solution for the energy situation. The energy system has to change radically and the use of biomass is a part of that change.
Regarding the question of whether there is enough biomass available on the planet, he replied that half of the world's energy demand in 2050 can be met by the overall potential of sustainable biomass.
He also pointed out that this is a progressive process and Essent has learned a lot over the years. This is interested in using biomass and coal together for technical reasons: better process temperatures, efficiencies and production capacity, as well as limited corrosion and fouling.
"Essent is well prepared, but we need stable political references, only then can the objectives be achieved," concluded Willboer.