The document discusses the potential for added value biomass chains for energy and biobased products. It describes Wageningen UR, a university and research center in the Netherlands with a focus on improving quality of life through exploring nature's potential. It outlines a biomass chain involving pre-treatment and separation of various biomass sources into products like materials, chemicals, energy, and fuels. Some challenges discussed include food competition, land competition, maintaining soil quality, biomass quality, cost, scale, and security of supply. Solutions proposed are more efficient use of underutilized biomass sources like waste and residues, and using surplus or marginal lands for perennial biomass crops.

1. Added value biomass chains for energy and
biobased products
Let’s work towards commodities
Kiev 19 September 2017
Wolter Elbersen

2. Wageningen UR (University & Research centre)
…to explore the potential of nature
to improve the quality of life…
 Two pillars:
● Wageningen University
● DLO – Specialized Research Institutes
 Annual budget about >650 Milj €
 6500 employees
 >10000 BSc/MSc; 1200 PhD (>100 countr.)
 Extensive international network
 In the Dutch Food Valley

3. New biomass
Pre-treatment
&
Separation/Isolati
on
Byproducts
Crops
Lignocellulose
Fresh biomass
Aquatic biomass
Traditional crops
Residues
Feed&Food
Materials
Chemicals
Energy & Fuels
Biomass chain aspects:
availability, quality, sustainability, logistics
Oils&fats
Sugars
Fibres
Proteins
(Bio)chemical&
Conversion
Complete valorization chain
Biomass Markets

4. Biobased Products Innovation Plant

5. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
0
10
20
30
40
50
€/ton
€/GJ
Multiproduct
biorefinery
Birefinery: Multiple products, more value
Wood
chips
Straw
(field)
Straw
(collected)
Straw
(washed)
Rape
meal
Animal
feed
Protein
Amino
acids
Ferment.
substrates
Ligno-
cellulose
Fibres
Nutrients
Rest
3
By prof. Johan Sanders

6. Building materials
coatings &
pigments
Isolation
wood
modification
Green
plasticizers
Compostable
packaging
Agro-fibre
composites
Bioplastics
Sheet: Christiaan Bolck

7. Biomass valorisation pyramid
7
Soil organic matter
NEW

8. Evolution of the biobased economy
8
 Now largest new market if biomass for heat (and
electricity)
 And for transport fuels (ethanol and biodiesel)
 In the (near) future electricity and heat also from other
sources (windmills)
 Biomass will move up the ladder towards:
● Industrial heat (high temperature)
● Long distance transport (jetfuel)
● Biobased chemicals and products

9. Biomass valorisation pyramid
9
Soil organic matter
NEW

10. The biomass potential
 Secondary residues +
waste
● At factory gate
 Primary residues:
● In the field
 Crops:
● 2 to 5 million ha
“surplus land” = 20
to 50 million tons
of biomass?

11.  Tertiary by-
products
 Secondary by-
products
 Primary by-
products
 Dedicated crops
Turnhollow, 1994
2017
Secondary + tertiary by-products
Primary by-products
Biomass crops
Cost supply curve is starting

12.  Tertiary by-
products
 Secondary by-
products
 Primary by-
products
 Dedicated crops
Turnhollow, 1994
2020
Secondary + tertiary by-products
Primary by-products
Biomass crops
Byproducts and/or dedicated
crops?

13.  Tertiary by-
products
 Secondary by-
products
 Primary by-
products
 Dedicated crops
Turnhollow, 1994
2022?
Secondary + tertiary by-products
Primary by-products
Biomass crops
Byproducts and/or dedicated
crops?

14. Crop residue removal vs soil quality ?
Too little
removal high
biomass cost
Too much  Soil
quality loss  less
organic matter
and nutrients

15. Themal conversion
quality
Parameter Effect
Ash 
Cost of transport . Cost of ash removal. Higher dust emissions. Clogging
ash removal system
N 
Easily volatile and release in gas phase during combustion at
temperatures between 800 – 1100 C
- NOx emissions – corrosion?
- Loss of nutrients
S 
Easily volatile and release in gas during combustion. Produces gaseosus
compounds SO3and SO4
- SOx emissions
- Corrosive effects
Cl 
Easily volatile and release in gas during combustion
- HCl formation  corrosion
- Cl influences the formation of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and
furans (PCDD/F)
- Agglomeration (with K)
Ca 
- - Increase the melting temperaturte of ash
- Relevant plant nutrient, ash can be recycled as a fertiliser
Mg 
- - Increase the melting temperature of ash
K 
Lowering ash melting point:
- Slagging and deposit formation in furnaces and boilers
Main aerosol forming during combustion
- Lowering of the efficiency, higher operating cost
KCL formation in the gaseous phase
- Raise emission of fine PM and increases fouling in the boiler.
- KCL causes corrosion of heating surfaces and it is a catalyst of NOx
Can be recycled as fertiliser
Na 
Lowering ash melting point:
- Slagging and deposit formation in furnaces and boilers
Main aerosol forming during combustion
- Raise emission of fine particulate matter PM

16. Solutions for crop residues?
• Harvest 1 in 3 years?
• Strip harvesting: harvest seed
first, harvest straw after
leaching nutrients
• No-till planting: allows for more
straw removal
• Introduce models to determine
optimal straw removal rate
• Harvest and pelletizing in one
go?
www.akkerwijzer.nl
landmaschinen.krone.de

17. Counter current
extraction
 Remove nutrients
 Better quality
 Nutrient recycling
17

18. Perennial biomass crops on marginal land?
- Woody crops:
- Short rotation
willow coppice
- Poplar?
- Perennial biomass
grasses:
- Miscanthus
- Switchgrass

19. Growing switchgrass on marginal land
22% more expensive (Ukraine case)
€ 0
€ 10
€ 20
€ 30
€ 40
€ 50
€ 60
Low productive -
No ILUC
High productive -
ILUC
Costs(€pertonpellet)
Transport to pelletizer
Land rent
Harvest and storage
Field operations
Inputs
Ref: Lesschen et al 2012. Pellets for Power project

20. MAGIC: Marginal lands for Growing Industrial Crop
H2020 project 2017 / 2021
Partners:
-CRES (Greece)
-IBC – Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet (UKR)
- Wageningen UR (NL)
+ 23 others

21. END
wolter.elbersen@wur.nl

22. New biomass
Pre-treatment
&
Separation/Isolati
on
Byproducts
Crops
Lignocellulose
Fresh biomass
Aquatic biomass
Traditional crops
Residues
Feed&Food
Materials
Chemicals
Energy & Fuels
Biomass chain aspects:
availability, quality, sustainability, logistics
Oils&fats
Sugars
Fibres
Proteins
(Bio)chemical&
Conversion
Complete valorization chain
Biomass Markets

23. What are the solutions?
Use land or biomass more
efficiently
● Use un and under utilised
biomass
● Waste
● Processing residues
● Crop residues
● Use surplus / marginal
land?
http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/biof/pdf/iluc_bioenergy_policies_paris/report_s3.pdf

24. Challenges
 Food competition
 Competition for land
 Soil quality maintenance
 Quality
 Cost
 Scale
 Security of supply