Co-firing of Biomass in Coal-fired Boilers is the Hot Topic On March 19, 2009
At 10 a.m. CDT
The economic gap of co-firing biomass with coal to producer electricity is moving closer to reality with an increased regulatory climate, cost of transportation and favorable agriculture policy. Co-firing biomass and coal can provide multiple environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions, including sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. The state mandates to provide a percentage of power from renewable sources in the near future is also a strong driving factor. Co-firing biomass can offer a lower capital cost compared to other options to achieve the renewable mandates and at the same time help reduce emissions of other pollutants at no or little addition cost. But there are also problems with biomass such as the lower energy input, compatibility with other equipment particularly boiler feed systems and availability of suitable biomass materials. In addition, a full evaluation of the net CO2 reductions requires an evaluation of emissions over the full life cycle of the fuel production, processing, transport, and use.
Most of the renewable portfolio standards are relatively open in terms of what constitutes renewable content, but the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act requires evaluation of life cycle GHG emissions to determine net reductions. Carbon constraints will likely move increasingly in the direction of evaluating life cycle emissions, and that could become part of more state requirements, even for co-firing.
The following speakers will address the advantages and disadvantages of co-firing biomass, discus methods for co-firing and available equipment options and to describe their experience with co-firing of biomass at utility boilers:
Bill Belden, consulting manager for Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc. will describe feedstock development, logistic activities, test burns, construction, planning operations, environmental evaluations and permitting to co-fire switchgrass at Alliant Energy’s fleet of boilers.
C. Andrew (Andy) Miller, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC will discuss the Chariton Valley Biomass Project, a joint DOE-USDA project under the Biomass Power for Rural Development Program awarded in 1996. The project goals were to prove the technical feasibility of growing a dedicated energy crop, in this case switchgrass, and processing it for delivery to co-fire with Powder River Basin coal in a T-fired pulverized coal boiler. He will address air quality permitting, approval to market the fly ash, a proven reliable biomass processing system and draft fuel supply contract.
Dr. W R Livingston, Group Leader, Fuels and Chemistry at Doosan Babcock R&D will discuss the co-firing of biomass by pre-mixing with coal and co-milling and the co-firing of pre-milled biomass materials by direct injection into the pulverized coal pipework. Both of these approaches have been adopted successfully in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, and the emphasis will be on the practical aspects of project implementation.
George (Geo) Richards with the R&D group at DOE will discuss biomass utilization for coal gasification.
Patrick Travis of Energy Products of Idaho will present an update on fluid bed gasification of biomass in the utility industry.
To register for the “Hot Topic Hour” on Thursday, March 19th at 10:00 a.m. CDT, click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/FGDnetoppbroch/Default1.htm .
Bob McIlvaine
847 784-0012
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com