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Production Potential and Logistics of Biomass Feedstocks for Biofuels

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Practices and Perspectives in Sustainable Bioenergy

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

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Abstract

Intensive biofuel production and utilization require an adequate and sustainable supply of biomass feedstocks. Globally, net terrestrial primary production is estimated at 56 × 1015 g C yr−1, storing 2.2 × 1021 J bioenergy in the annually synthesized biomass. Approximately 8.7% of this primary production can be sustainably used for energy purposes to meet 34% of the current human energy demand. Sustainable bioenergy feedstocks extend to feasible portion of food grains, crop residues, dedicated energy crops, forest debris, animal manures, and domestic organic waste. To transfer biomass feedstocks from the production field to biorefinery plants, an array of unit operations are involved, including harvesting, drying, transportation, densification, storage, and pre-processing. Machineries and equipments have been developed to implement the feedstock logistics. The overall biomass handling cost accounts for 35–50% of the total biomass production budget. Biomass logistics are a critical component in a biofuel production system and an essential part of the bioenergy supply chain. Technological advancement is warranted to improve the efficiency of biomass feedstock logistics.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support to compiling the information was from the USDA-AFRI competitive grant No. 2011-67009-30055.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, 19901, USA

    Weiping Song

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Rachel Apointe

  3. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, 19901, USA

    Mingxin Guo

Authors
  1. Weiping Song
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  2. Rachel Apointe
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  3. Mingxin Guo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingxin Guo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, USA

    Madhumi Mitra

  2. Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, USA

    Abhijit Nagchaudhuri

Appendices

Review Questions

  1. 1.

    Briefly describe the energy budget of the Earth system.

  2. 2.

    Define photosynthesis efficiency. What is the photosynthesis efficiency of intensively cultivated crops?

  3. 3.

    Globally, how much solar energy is captured by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria through photosynthesis each year?

  4. 4.

    What is the net annual primary production of terrestrial plants?

  5. 5.

    What is the global sustainable bioenergy production potential? Is this figure significant in the current global energy demand?

  6. 6.

    What biomass materials are identified as bioenergy feedstocks?

  7. 7.

    What are biomass logistics? Name the typical operations of biomass logistics.

  8. 8.

    Explain the general logistics of switchgrass production for bioethanol.

  9. 9.

    What equipment is commonly used for collecting and densifying woody biomass in the field?

  10. 10.

    What techniques have been tested to pre-process lignocellulosic materials for bioethanol generation?

Index

Biomass:

Bioenergy

Biofuel:

Densification

Harvesting:

Logistics

Pelletization:

Photosynthesis

Pre-processing:

Production

Storage:

Transportation

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Song, W., Apointe, R., Guo, M. (2020). Production Potential and Logistics of Biomass Feedstocks for Biofuels. In: Mitra, M., Nagchaudhuri, A. (eds) Practices and Perspectives in Sustainable Bioenergy. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3965-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3965-9_4

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