Ruzena's Comments

tblakeslee
Fire and pyrolysis brings death meanwhile biological transformation during production of biogas and biofertilizers supports life.

Can you show some plants grown in pure biochar?

Biofertilizers are much better soil improvements and also god as material for carbon sequestration.

To my previous comments I would like to add some definitions. Everyone is welcome to improve them!
Biology - the study of life and living organisms - was inspired by the Greek word ????, bios, "life" and the suffix -?????, -logia, "study of."
Biomass - living organisms in weight per surface area or volume.
Bioenergy - "life energy" solar energy stored in biomass and "Renewable Organic Material" (ROM) derived from biomass of plants, animals and microorganisms.
Bioenergy conversion:
1) Biochemically - with the help of microorganisms for example fermentation to ethanol, to methane in the biogas and the production of certain medicines. Since microorganisms are involved, the by-product / residue always contains the living microorganisms and most of all the elements that are essential for the cultivation of new plant biomass.
2) Chemically – by burning / combustion or gasification with use of heat and sometimes also pressure. Burning ROM generate environmentally harmful emissions (nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, dioxins, etc. into the air and ashes to the soil that can leach into the groundwater), all living in the raw material is killed and the recycling of plant nutrients nullified. Gasification or pyrolysis of fuel starts as early as at 100 ° C when various hydrocarbons are released. The syngas can then be converted to methanol, dimetyleter (DME), hydrogen or synthetic diesel. (Nobody writes about the cost of heating, air emissions, and what happens to the nitrogen, phosphorus and other plant nutrients.)
Biofuel - fuel for the living. For people is the main biofuel food, for animals feed and microorganisms all materials derived from plant and animal kingdom.
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In my opinion, chemical transformation is unsustainable. Biomass and ROM should preferably be converted by biological methods.
The statement by J. Ford, a famous microbiologist: "What can be done with the help of microorganisms, we can never do more cheaply by using only technology."

Very interesting and useful information! Here in Sweden I wrote some sentences where I also compared biogas to Cinderella – see below.
Biogas treated like Cinderella 2010-01-03
Many want to use the methane in the biogas, which is the same molecule existing in the fossil fuel natural gas. Unfortunately, efforts to modernize the biogas production are treated as Cinderella, despite all the advantages described in research.
Comparison is lacking how much subsidies from tax revenue goes to unsustainable management of Renewable Organic Materials in residues and waste with incineration, treatment of ash and gasification / pyrolysis. Enormous subsidies have been already used for development of nuclear power plants and other fossil energy sources.
All Renewable Organic Materials in the residues and waste as well as energy crops can be converted into biogas and biofertilizers – if the logistics and processing are well managed.
There is still a lack of "recipes" and a lack of precision in the methane fermentation. Low yields and unnecessary emissions cause economic, environmental and social problems.
So far, nobody uses high-tech biogas plants that are adapted to the needs of the microorganisms. Current systems have been designed 100 years ago to get rid of organic material in wastewater from water closets. Efficient production of methane (in the biogas) and biofertilizers (that can help us to maintain or even increase soil fertility) is still only vision.
Everyone wants safe food. Therefore, there is a need for safe cultivation system and safe biofertilizers. When will be the safe biological conversion adapted to present and future needs?
I will offer my experiences and ideas on the efficient production of biogas and biofertilizers to everyone who has the will and resources to build high-tech system of local (small or large) biogas plants. /rsvedelius(at)hotmail.com/

The only unique way to use renewable energy is to produce biogas and biofertilizers from renewable organic matter in the residues and wastes.
1) Methane in the biogas can be used to produce electricity, heat, vehicle fuel and as raw material for chemistry.
2) Biofertilizers contain bioenergy, plant nutrients and microorganisms, and therefore are they important for the conservation and enhancing soil fertility and soil productive capacity.
3) Residents do not have to pay directly and indirectly for the unsustainable and polluting management of residues and wastes.

Questions to Jim Miller:

1) What happend to nitrogen, phosphorus and microorganisms during production of syngas?

2) Can "bioproducts" be made without activity of living organisms?
(bio = life; biogas is product of anaerobic bacteria)

You wrote: "we need to move toward BioOil infused Biochar which is much cleaner burning. We can use the syngas to make biodiesel and other bio products."

Burning (= chemical oxidation) of renewable organic material and thermal gasification brings dead. These methods are NOT SUSTAINABLE!
Microbial transformation (= biochemical oxidation) of renewable organic material to biogas and biofertilizers (by high solids anaerobic digestion using high-tech) supports life. This method IS SUSTAINABLE!
Biogas can be used in Combined Heat and Power plants.
Why is anaerobic digestion still undeveloped? Who is lobbying against biological processes?
Without efficient recycling of nitrogen and other plant nutrients still will increase Reactive Nitrogen by input of artificial fertilisers.
Since 1950, when use of artificial fertilisers started, run of from cultivated soils is documented (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), that cause dead seas and other problems. Incineration and decreased recycling of plant nutrient make the situation even worse.
Please read:
"Reactive Nitrogen: The Next Big Pollution Problem"
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/reactive-nitrog/?cid=114894316
"Dead water" From The Economist print edition
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11367884
"Human Sources of Reactive Nitrogen"
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/482775_3
"UNEP Report: Reactive Nitrogen in the Environment"
http://www.whrc.org/policy/Reactive_nitrogen.htm
"Nitrous Oxide Emissions and the Anthropogenic Nitrogen in Wastewater and Solid Waste." Both solid waste and wastewater sludge incineration have been demonstrated to result in the thermal formation of nitrous oxide.
http://gis.lrs.uoguelph.ca/AgriEnvArchives/bioenergy/nutrient_flow_btb.html
"Creeping Dead Zones"
http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/scifocus/oceanColor/dead_zones.shtml
"Reactive Nitrogen"
http://www.agu.org/revgeophys/penner00/node4.html
and other articles about Reactive Nitrogen on Internet.

R. Svedelius, Aktion Skåne-Miljö, Sweden

No to unsustainable, expensive and polluting pyrolysis and combustion!

Only biological conversion (by microbes) - of renewable organic material (biomass) to energy rich methane in biogas and to biofertilisers (organic fertilisers) containing most of the plant nutrients, for cultivation beneficial microorganisms and bioenergy in organic compounds - is sustainable ecologically, economically and socially.

Microbiologist J. Ford wrote in his book Microbes Power that technical processes can newer be more efficient that processes carried by microbes.

Pyrolysis is energy intensive thermal degradation (by heat and pressure) of organic material (biomass) in the absence of air to produce char, pyrolysis oil and syngas.
Combustion: Burning, or rapid chemical oxidation of bioenergy in organic structures, is accompanied by release of energy in the form of heat and light. Combustion is a basic cause of air pollution. Second product of combustion is ash - without energy, nitrogen and sulphur. From waste incinerators the amount of toxic ash is up to 25 weight %.

We all are responsible for production of biomass and not only for energy conversion from biomass. Sustainable systems can never be achieved by thermal conversion because that
1) some plant nutrients (nitrogen and sulphur) disappears as environment polluting compounds
2) ash and chair does not contain energy important for soil microorganisms.

Use of bioconversion systems, when the non-converted feedstocks residues are returned to the soil as organic fertilizers, can support production of new biomass without man-made agrochemicals. Many unfertile soils can be very fast turned to agricultural land with the help of organic fertilizers. The positive effects of bioenergy and microbial activity in biofertilisers should be calculated in economical terms.
rsvedelius@hotmail.com

27 september 2008 I wrote: Everybody can agree that - In any business, success hinges on human capital. - But, is qualified management and engineering leadership enough?
What about turning knowledge based new idea to build smart and sustainable biogas plants to reality?
Interested? rsvedelius@hotmail.com

Why not methane from biogas as biofuel?
As usually I wonder if somebody write about biogas produced by High Solids Anaerobic Digestion. - Not fossil natural gas!
Biogas can be transformed to electricity and heat or used as fuel in cars, busses, trains…
Biofertilisers – a second valuable product contains the remaining bioenergy and most of the plant nutrients from the Renewable Organic Materials. The bioenergy in biofertilisers is very important for soil microorganisms, and should be evaluated in economical terms. Biofertilisers will be adjusted to the cultivation needs in ecological farming.
More information:
Study: biogas can replace all EU imports of Russian gas by 2020
http://biopact.com/2007/02/study-biogas-can-replace-all-eu-imports.html
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District heating "key to Danish sustainability"
(13 Oct 08) Study shows heating sector could become carbon neutral by 2030 if district heating network were expanded and switched to biogas. http://www.eceee.org/news/news_2008/2008-10-13a/
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26.04.06 Reader: Chernobyl Plus Twenty (see text on page 38)
http://www.gruene-bundestag.de/cms/default/rubrik/12/12119.publications.html

It is possible to use the brush and trees as feedstocks for high solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) see Internet.
All renewable organic materials (ROM) - originated from plant, animal and microbial biomass, such as organic residues and waste from all human activities - can be utilised for production of both biogas and for cultivation adjusted biofertilisers.
For example ROM in municipal and industrial waste; in residues from forestry, agri- and horticulture; human and animal excreta and of course also fuel crops can be shredded and mixed as feedstocks.
During composting occur emissions = losses of energy and plant nutrients.
Anaerobic digestion in closed decentralised systems is the most sustainable way (ecologically, economically and socially) to use ROM.
rsvedelius@hotmail.com

All renewable organic materials (ROM) contain bioenergy/biofuel and elements (plant nutrients and other elements) and can be used as a feedstock for biogas.
We need novel systems and methods for production of biogas and biofertilisers. High solids anaerobic digestion (HSAD) should be improved. Dry and carbon-rich ROM have to be processed together with wet and nitrogen-rich ROM. Future HSAD should be seen as feed processing equipment used to create the best conditions for methanogenic microorganisms that produce methane by the fermentation. Today we do not have first-class recipes neither advanced technology adjusted to biotransformation of ROM by microorganisms.
Closed local facilities with modern design, logistic, robotics, automation and IT are necessery for management of ROM from household and industrial waste, human and animal excreta, residues from forestry, agriculture, horticulture, all green areas as well as from floods, lakes and seas.
My research was focused on plant nutrients recycling and improvement of soil fertility. Unfortunately, it is impossible to efficiently recycle plant nutrients without drawing attention to bioenergy. We need to realise that bioenergy and element in ROM are both key subjects for our survival. We use ROM for food, feed, fibre and fuel (as methane in biogas). Biogas is generally considered to be carbon neutral.
We have to phase out unsustainable technologies as incineration of ROM and sewage systems. Emissions from these technologies are expensive and polluting losses of energy and elements.
Albert Einstein: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

A ratings system is a very good idea

Please, compare two biofuels ethanol and biogas and take into account all environmental, social and economic aspects of production and use of these biofuels. Then compare the best one with coal, oil and natural gas.

Biogas can be produced from fuel crops, organic residues and organic materials in waste. Instead of burning renewable organic material we can receive methane as energy rich fuel and valuable fertiliser - that can give some extra stars in the rating system .
Why not include even side effects as possibility to transfere the biofuel to other important materials (plastics?) and other kind of energy carriers such as electricity and heat.

NB Food is biofuel for humans, feed for animals and all types of organic materials are biofuels for microorganisms. Microbial transformation can be used more efficiently!

Why not methane from biogas?
Biogas is carbon neutral and pose less emissions that cause health problems than ethanol vhen used in cars.
Biogas can be converted to electricity and heat.
Cars using electric power achieve 60-80 % efficiency while cars using gas (natural gas or biogas) achieve only 15-25 % efficiency (according to research results from Lund university, Sweden).
More research is needed on sustainable production and use of biogas. Development of systems for "high solids anaerobic digestion", where both biogas and nutrients in biofertilisers are used in the most efficient way, is still waiting for financial support.
Without biofertilisers will soil degradation continue and less biomass will be produced.

"renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel" are often mentioned - what about biogas that can be produced from many organic residues and from fuel crops

the second product can be valuable fertiliser if high solid digestion is used in modern facilities

Collaboration?
We need biomass for food, feed, fibre and fuel.
One ton of biomass contains 1 500 - 7 000 kWh energy and the essential plant nutrients.
Mistakes in management of biomass are expensive and polluting therefore we have to improve present methods.
Is somebody of you interested in bioconversion? It means advanced and more efficient upgrading of biomass to two valuable products: biogas and biofertilisers.

Sustainable management of biomass can give several positive impacts on ecological, economical and social aspects:
 Energy - recovery
 Plant nutrients - recycling
 Soil improvement - "Carbon Sequestration"
 Environment - protection (air, water and soil)
 Economy - viable
 Social aspects - in balance
ruzena@spray.se