Biofuels & Open Source

Transcription

1 Biofuels & Open Source POLITECNICO DI TORINO 8 Giugno 2011 Marco Cannizzaro Edoardo Patti

2 Fossil Fuels The use of fossil fuels has started in the late XVIII century during the industrial revolution in Europe and in North America and along with the strong increase in energy demand by industries. Nowadays they are the main source of energy and the entire world economy depends on their use.

3 How to derive? Fossil fuels arise from organic matter (both animal and vegetable) burred millions of years ago. Subject to high pressure and high temperatures, they have gradually lost nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, starting the process of carbonization. Fossil fuels can be defined as a kind of solar energy absorbed in remote geological ages: directly from plant organisms through photosynthesis; indirectly from animals feeding on plants. The main fossil fuels are: carbon Oil natural gas.

4 Vantages They are compact, or they have a high energy-volume relationship; They are easily transportable; They are easily stored; They can be used with relatively simple equipment; They have a relatively low cost.

5 and Disadvantages They are pollutants. For example, they are responsible for the presence of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere, main cause of acid rain; Their use produces an increment of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, not directly polluting gas, but now it is considered the most responsible for global warming; They are not renewable resources. The process of fossilization of organic matter is considerably longer than the actual needs of the society.

6 Consequences All that implies a progressive depletion of deposits and reserves, and a rising demand for energy. The price increase, the awareness of the exhaustion of available stocks and increased sensitivity to environmental issues have promoted policies to diversify the sources of individual countries, encouraging the development of energy supply systems alternatives to fossil fuels.

7 Alternative Fuels Alternative fuels are an attempt to cut dependence on fossil fuels and to solve the problems they pose. Biofuels are one of these alternatives.

8 Vantages From the ecological point of view, biofuels present some differences compared to fossil fuels: they are not explosive; they are biodegradable; they are not harmful and they reduce significantly toxic emissions; they have no emissions of sulfur dioxide, because they do not contain sulfur; they can also be obtained by processing at home.

9 and Disadvantages Many economists believe that the production of biofuels is causing poverty and world hunger, because it deprives poor countries, which base their economy on the primary sector, substantial quantities of food necessary for survival. Moreover, in the world there is not a sufficient supply of agricultural land to produce food and biofuels for a significant amount of cars.

10 Biofuel Production A variety of fats and oils of biological origin can be used to produce biofuels: virgin vegetable oils; soybean oil, mustard, palm oil and algae; discarded vegetable oil; animal fat.

11 Biofuel: an Open Source category The principle behind open source oil is to aggregate research inputs from a variety of experts all over the world in order to arrive at a full-cycle design for biodiesel production. The concept of GPL has been adapted from the GNU GPL of the Free Software Movement. Next slides present the various types of open source biofuel: Biodiesel Oil algae Bio-Oil or diesel mixture fuels Biochar Biogas Jatrophas oil

12 Biodiesel Biodiesel is made from animal fat or vegetable oils. This involves chemically modifying the oil as to give it properties more closely resembling diesel fuel. It can be used in nearly any diesel engine, with little modification. However, biodiesel is a stronger solvent than regular diesel, which can impact rubber components. Biodiesel has little negative environmental impact.

13 Biodiesel The process of oil extraction is carried out the same way as for extraction of edible oil from plants. There are many crops grown in rural areas of the developing world, which are suitable for oil production sunflower, coconut, cotton seed, palm, peanut and more. Sunflower oil, for example, has an energy content about 85% that of diesel fuel. Biodiesel production is not complex and can be done on a small scale. In a nutshell, the vegetable oil is converted to a useable fuel by adding ethanol or methanol alcohol along with a catalyst to improve the chemical reaction. Following the Open Source Biodiesel tutorial it is possible produce it at home.

14 Biodiesel Biodiesel should not be confused with Green Diesel, that is another renewable biofuel obtained through a different chemical process. Biodiesel can also be used in any diesel engine.

15 Oil Algae Algae represent a very interesting alternative because they have fewer drawbacks than all other feedstocks. Since they are not part of the human food chain at present, algae oil does not conflict with our existing food supplies. Algae for instance have oil yields that are over one hundred times higher than soy; implying that for the same amount of oil, they require only a fraction of the area required to grow soy. Owing to their ability to grow anywhere, algae as feedstock also do not contribute to large-scale deforestation. Furthermore, the soil most suited to the growth of algae have desert-like features withstrong solar radiation, so with low economic value for any other use.

16 Bio-Oil Bio-Oil is produced in the pyrolysis of biomass. It is a highly viscous, acidic fluid and has high water content, making it unsuitable for use in current diesel internal combustion engines. Alternatively, Bio-Oil can simply be mixed with biodiesel in an emulsion. This appears to dramatically improve some of the qualities and make the resulting fuel much more like Biodiesel than crude Bio-Oil.

17 Bio-Oil The scheme in the picture describes how to produce Bio-Oil. The vapors that come off can be sent into another drum, submerged in cool water for condensation to occur.

18 BIOCHAR Biochar is a fine-grained charcoal high in organic carbon and largely resistant to decomposition. It is produced from pyrolysis of plant and waste feedstocks. It differs from charcoal only in the sense that its primary use is not for fuel, as a soil amendment, biochar creates a recalcitrant soil carbon pool that is carbon-negative, serving as a net withdrawal of atmospheric carbon dioxide stored in highly recalcitrant soil carbon.

19 BIOCHAR The enhanced nutrient retention capacity of biochar-amended soil not only reduces the total fertilizer requirements but also the climate and environmental impact of croplands. Following the How to Make some Charcoal tutorial it is possible produce it at home.

20 SUSTAINABLE BIOCHAR Carbon emissions can be sustainably offset by producing biochar from waste and residue biomass, as demonstrated in this schematic of the pyrolysis process to create biochar.

21 BIOCHAR BENEFITS Inexpensive soil amelioration for degraded land. Increased biomass productivity. Efficient use of biomass waste for energy generation. Reduced need for fertilizer input. Combine biochar with vermicompost to make superb fertilizer. Pyrolysis gas can be used for energyand as a heat source. As a source of hydrogen, CO and small amounts of methane, pyrolysis gas may be useful for various processes.

22 BIOCHAR BENEFITS Biochar-producing tractor. Combine with solar thermal heat source to make an open source solar pyrolysis unit. Charcoal as filter: can be used for water purification and filtration, later become biochar; can be used to filter pyrolysis gas itself. Charcoal can also help neutralize smell in a composting toilet. Then it becomes biochar. It can be turned into biodiesel.

23 BioGas Biogas technology provides an alternate source of energy that meets the basic need for cooking fuel in rural areas. It is produced from organic wastes through a process which is similar to the digestive process in any bovine: 1)Suspension 2)Hydrolysis 3)Gas production

24 Simple Open Source BioGas System In Superflex constructed a simple, portable biogas unit that can produce sufficient gas for the cooking and lighting needs of an African family. The plant produces approx. 3-4 cubic meters of gas per day of the dung from 2-3 cattle. This is enough for a family of 8-10 members for cooking purposes and to run one gas lamp in the evening.

25 BioGas: Pro & Con PRO: CON: Liquid slurry from biogas tank can be used to fertilize. When used for combustion, no upgrading is necessary. Low temperatures may lead to breakdown of microbial populations. When intended use is internal combustion engine (transportation), biogas may need to be upgraded (cleaned).

26 Jatrophas oil In 2008 Bryan Beer, a citrus grower in southwestern Florida, planted a jatropha tree, a plant that can produce diesel fuel and could one day power a 747. His plans was a little less ambitious; he just wanted to plant enough to run his tractors. Jatropha means "doctor food." It originated in South America, where it was once used for medicinal purposes. Its oil can be used as fuel in any standard diesel engine with zero processing, experts say.

27 Jatrophas oil In 2009 Air New Zealand did a test flight in Auckland in which jatropha biodiesel was mixed with diesel fuel. Boeing, like many other interested parties, is keen to develop a commercially viable, renewable source for aviation fuel so as not to have to face lobbyists and lawmakers who see reduced air travel as the best step forward.

28 European Biofuels Technology Platform Following the principle of the open source oil, the European Biofuels Technology Platform (EBTP) was established in It brings together the knowledge and expertise of stakeholders from industry, biomass resources providers and research & technology development organizations in a public private partnership.

29 Aims: European Biofuels Technology Platform Development of cost-competitive world-class biofuels value chains; Creation of a healthy biofuels industry; Acceleration of the sustainable deployment of biofuels. Contributions: Guidance Prioritization Promotion of research, technology development and demonstration.

30 Conclusions By some measures it is fair to characterize communityscale biodiesel as an industry that is open. Everyone can get as many good ideas as they contribute. And there is no doubt that each of them have benefited greatly from the community of small-scale producers. Just as the small open source software company can successfully compete with much larger proprietary rivals, any small biodiesel company looms larger than life because of its many contributions to industry knowledge.

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32 References