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The impact of biomass availability and processing cost on optimum size and processing technology selection
1Engineering Management Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
|November 19, 2008
Summary
Optimizing biomass processing plant size balances economies of scale against transportation costs. A slight cost increase allows for significantly smaller, more efficient plant sizes.
Area of Science:
- Biomass energy conversion and processing
- Sustainable energy systems analysis
- Techno-economic assessment of biorefineries
Background:
- Biomass processing plants face a trade-off between economies of scale and biomass transportation costs.
- Plant size optimization is crucial for minimizing the cost of energy derived from biomass.
- Four distinct processing pathways were analyzed to determine optimal plant scales.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the optimal size for biomass processing plants considering various conversion technologies.
- To analyze the impact of biomass gross yield and processing costs on optimal plant size.
- To evaluate the cost-competitiveness of different biomass conversion technologies.
Main Methods:
- Economic modeling of four biomass processing options: direct combustion, biomass integrated gasification and combined cycle (BIGCC), fermentation (ethanol), and Fischer-Tropsch (syndiesel).
- Calculation of optimum plant size as a function of biomass gross yield and processing costs.
- Analysis of cost crossover points between direct combustion and BIGCC based on biomass cost and yield.
Main Results:
- Optimum plant size increases with higher biomass gross yield and higher processing costs.
- A minor cost objective relaxation (3%) can halve the optimal plant size.
- Biomass integrated gasification and combined cycle (BIGCC) becomes more cost-effective than direct combustion at higher delivered biomass costs.
Conclusions:
- Plant size optimization is sensitive to biomass availability, processing costs, and desired cost minimization.
- Flexibility in cost targets can significantly reduce the required scale of biomass processing facilities.
- Technology choice, particularly BIGCC versus direct combustion, is influenced by biomass delivered cost and yield.
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