Biomass Coproduction
Multimedia
- Editorial: The New Abolishionists (MSNBC News)
- Chris Hayes discusses the economic similarities between the effort to end slavery and the effort to end the use of fossil fuels. He states that he is not making a moral equivalency. 04-14
- -001 Study: Conversion of a Coal-Fired Power Station to Biomass Pyrolysis (BioEnergy2020.eu)
- This scientific study shows that "cheap biomass can be used for co-firing in existing fossil fuel power stations without the danger of corrosion, deposition, and emission problems." 06-14
- -01 China Plans Ban on Coal by 2020 (Huffington Post)
- "China's smog-plagued capital has announced plans to ban the use of coal by the end of 2020 as the country fights deadly levels of pollution, especially in major cities."
Editor's Note: The United States is a major exporter of coal to China. If China and the United States both convert their coal-fired power stations to biomass pyrolysis stations, we may be able to REVERSE the amount of CO2 in the air. Biomass (decaying vegetation) is, by far, the largest contributor of CO2 to the air, far greater a source than human activities. Pyrolysis allows the carbon in decaying vegetation to be converted to a solid carbon instead of CO2. 09-14
- -01 Study: Conversion of 3 Coal-Fired Power Stations to Biomass (Dom.com)
- "Dominion is converting three of its existing coal-fired power stations located in Virginia to 100% renewable biomass fuel. The three facilities are the Altavista, Hopewell and Southampton power stations. Altavista was placed into commercial operation following conversion on July 12, 2013, and the others are expected to be converted by the end of 2013. After convertion, each facility will produce up to 51 MW of electricity for our customers (total of 153 MW of biomass-fueled power)."
"The fuel will primarily be derived from waste wood typically left behind in the forests as part of the logging process for roundwood. Roundwood is harvested to make lumber, pulp & paper, or wood pellets. Waste wood is the smaller tree tops and branches left behind after roundwood harvesting." 06-14
- -Carbon-Negative Biochar Power Stations (International Biochar Initiative)
- Provides a "comprehensive approach of using agricultural residues to substitute fossil fuels and producing biochar in a 3 MW pyrolysis plant." 04-14
- -Pulverized Coal Power Stations to Biomass Stations (IEA Bioenergy)
- Provides a summary of options. 08-14
- -What Do We Do With Abandoned Coal-Fired Power Plants? (Grist.org)
- "About 13 gigawatts worth of coal-fired power plants are closing this year to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule." 05-15
- Biomass Plant in New Hampshire to Save Jobs (USABiomass.org)
- "After four years of debate, in 2010, with the buildings and the former paper mill falling into disrepair, a developer purchased the land and buildings to build a biomass plant. In addition to putting to use a vacant lot that had once been the center of the community, the new biomass plant would employ former paper mill workers, doing jobs that fall within their expertise. Additionally, the new biomass plant would reuse the very same boiler that had been implemented by the paper mill."
- Co-locating Biomass to Ethanol with Coal-Fired Power Stations (EERE.Energy.gov)
- Provides a summary in graphics. 17-14
- Conversion of Coal-Fired Plants to Biomass in Virginia (The Daily Beast)
- "A major energy company has completed one of three planned conversions of a power plant from coal to biomass in Virginia."
"The plants operated by Dominion will primarily use leftover from nearby timbering work for the biomass fuel. The plants, which generate enough power to serve roughly 12,500 households, are expected to continuously operate. According to the company, the conversion will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and mercury in the environment. The conversion will replace 194,000 tons of coal at each station." 07-13
- Sewage Sludge with Pyrolysis to Co-Fire a Coal Power Plant (The Daily Beast)
- MHI claims that it uses pyrolization to convert sewage sludge into thermal power.
- Two Myths About Wood Pellets (Forest Business Network)
- "There are two highly inaccurate statements that are often made about the use of wood pellets as a substitute for coal in power generation. (1) The CO2 released from the combustion of wood pellets is greater than the CO2 released from the combustion of coal; (2) Using wood pellets for heat or power creates a carbon debt that takes decades to repay." 17-14
- USA Biomass Association (USABiomass.org)
- "The Biomass Power Association is the nation's leading organization working to expand and advance the use of clean, renewable biomass power. Led by President and CEO Bob Cleaves, the Association represents 80 biomass power plants in 20 states across the U.S. Currently, the biomass power industry reduces carbon emissions by more than 30 million tons each year and provides 14,000 jobs nationwide, many of which are in rural areas."
- What Is Biomass? (BiomassEnergyCentre.org.uk)
- "Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. In the context of biomass for energy this is often used to mean plant based material, but biomass can equally apply to both animal and vegetable derived material."
- When Corporate Interests Stall San Francisco's Green Power Plan (Truth-Out.org)
- "Community choice aggregation (CCA) is probably the most boring and benign-sounding name possible for one of the most radical policy mechanisms actually within reach today. Aggregation cuts middlemen utilities out of the process of deciding where electrical, gas, and heat energy come from. Most importantly, aggregation programs allow local communities to determine how ratepayer surpluses will be spent. Fitting the nonprofit, public purpose of aggregation, ratepayer surpluses are usually refunded as consumer savings. However, according to Fenn and other energy policy experts, the real transformative benefits of CCA - the litmus test, if you will - depends on whether ratepayer surpluses can be channeled into investments that are intended to green and localize the energy supply."
"Community choice aggregation was Paul Fenn's brainchild. Deregulation of energy markets in the late 1990s wreaked havoc on states like California, but Fenn saw something few others did. Beneath the procorporate agenda that allowed companies like Enron to capture billions of dollars from the public and crash the power grid was a window of opportunity to create a radically democratic reorganization of the economy. It would require subverting the big energy corporations and utilities, however."
" 'San Francisco is the most important city right now for fighting the climate crisis because we have this opportunity to do the community buildout of green energy through CCA.' " 08-13
- Wisconsin Picks Biomass Over Coal (JSOnline.com)
- "Unlike coal, which is brought in by train from Wyoming and Appalachia, biomass will be culled from the sawmills and forests of northern Wisconsin."
"Most of the waste wood that will supply the $268 million We Energies and Domtar power plant will come from within 75 miles of Rothschild, said Jim Freiberg of Domtar." 10-13