Portable inwoods fast pyrolysis: Using forest biomass to reduce forest fuels, increase soil producti

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Portable in-woods fast pyrolysis Using forest
biomass to reduce forest fuels, increase soil
productivity, and sequester carbon
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A collaborative effort

• Organizations
• Rocky Mountain Research Station
• University of Idaho Intermountain Forest Tree
  Nutrition Coop
• University of Montana
• Umpqua National Forest
• Renewable Oil International

• Deborah Page-Dumroese
• Mark Coleman
• Greg Jones
• Woodam Chung
• Kas Dumroese
• Jim Archuleta
• Phil Badger
• Tyrone Venn
• Dan Loeffler
• Mark Kimsey
• Terry Shaw
• Nate Anderson
• Kristin McElligott
• Colin Sorenson

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Fast pyrolysis in the forest

• Bio-oil and Bio-char co-production using fast
  pyrolysis
• Fast pyrolysis
• Rapid heating of biomass (gt1000C/s)
• Reactor temperatures of 400-600o C
• Rapid condensation of vapors
• Small scale plants
• In-woods processing
• Centralized plant

65-75
Dry Biomass 100
25-35
Biochar
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Supply chain of forest biomass to energy
1. Felling trees (harvester)
5. Trucking (low value biomass)
6. ENERGY!
2. Moving biomass off-site (forwarding)
3. Storage (drying)
4. Chipping (roadside or mill)
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Supply chain of forest biomass to energy
1. Felling trees (harvester)
5. Trucking (high value bio-oil)
6. ENERGY!
2. Moving biomass off-site (forwarding)
3. Storage (drying)
Fast pyrolysis
4. Chipping (roadside or mill)
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Utilizing Forest Biomass

• Increased interest
• Rising fuel costs
• GHG emissions from fossil fuels
• Threat of wildfires
• Removal of forest biomass
• Reduce wildfire hazard
• Promotes forest health
• Expands land management options
• Encourages collaboration

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Where does it come from?
Total forest harvest material 174 MODT/yr
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A renewable resource for bio-energy

• In the western US 73 million National Forest
  acres in need of thinning (370 million acres of
  all ownership)
• US forest lands can produce 370 MODT of
  biomass/year
• Displace 30 or more domestic petroleum
  consumption

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Part I. Environmental Consequences

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Environmental impacts of application of biochar
to forest sites

• Biochar applied at 2x the live biomass equivalent
  (20 tons/acre)
• Biochar applied at 0.25x the live biomass
  equivalent (2.5 tons/acre)
• Control
• Forest biomass only
• Pre-harvest soil and vegetation measures
• Post-treatment follow-up in yr 1, 3, 5, etc.

2x
0.25x
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Adding bio-char to forest sites

• Bio-char is a fine-ashy texture
• Large-scale application (as is) is difficult
• Contains 80 C and 1.5N
• Alkaline pH
• Cation exchange capacity
• Water holding capacity
• Potential to improve forest site productivity

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Alternative on-site forest bio-char uses

• Pellets made on-site for reapplication
• Slurry of water and bio-char for road-cut
  application
• As-is application
• Forest wildlife food plots

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Native plant nurseries media amendment

• Bio-char can be added to peat
• Pelleted bio-char used to enhance nursery media
  properties
• Sequester C during planting

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Biochar in peat moss
100 peat
75 peat 25 biochar
50 peat 50 biochar
25 peat 75 biochar
50 peat 50 biochar
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Part II. Comparison of Economic Feasibility
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In-woods pyrolysis assumptions

• Moisture Content 10 Moisture
• Achieve 10-20 moisture content via Field Drying
  (may need additional on-site dryer)
• Currently practiced for Burning Slash Piles
• 6 months to 1 year
• Size
• Biomass must be ground to 1/16th to 1/8th after
  moisture requirement is met
• Portable unit would move 2x during the year.

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Economics of in-woods fast pyrolysis

• Inputs 22 bone dry tons/day of forest residue
• Outputs
• 55-60 bio-oil
• 25-30 bio-char
• 1 tar
• Remainder syngas (recycled to power
  fast-pyrolysis reactor)
• Model does not account for tar disposal
• Use on roads?

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In-woods fast pyrolysis (mobile plants)

• Convert forest biomass to high value oil in the
  field
• Reduce transportation costs
• Smaller available biomass needs
• Bio-char reapplied on-site
• Move from one location to another

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Implications for Adoption

• Forest Service may be able to enter a new revenue
  stream for
• Funds to U.S. Treasury
• Off-set Wildfire costs
• Receipts to Counties
• Off-set of Title II Payments to Counties from
  timber sales
• Knutson-Vandenberg Act (KV)
• Sale Area Improvement Fund possible funding for
  biochar reapplication?

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In the future

• Economic analyses
• Mobile vs. fixed site continues
• Fossil fuel consumption and particulate emissions
  vs. in-woods burning
• Forest application
• Other soil textures and forest types
• Forest microbial changes
• Nutrient isotherms
• C sequestration
• Nursery media
• Pellet manufacture
• C sequestration

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THANK YOU