Energy from biomass and wastes: 1983 update

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6639540

Klass, D L

The effort to develop and apply technology for fuels and energy from biomass and wastes overcame a serious obstacle in 1983. This effort grew despite the reduction in financial support that started 2 years ago. Although subject to extensive criticism from time to time and revision of the National Energy Policy Plan, which changed the objectives and direction of on-going research, the DOE program seems to have been clearly targeted and pursued. In the 2000-2010 time frame, the contribution of energy from biomass and wastes to primary energy consumption is expected to increase to 4.2-4.5% of the total energy supplied to the US economy, while wood and hydropower are projected to supply up to about 25% of total world energy consumption. At the present time, wood and wood-waste combustion systems are the main sources of energy from biomass and wastes in the United States. Industrial applications are the largest component, but residential usage of wood fuel is increasing. Other technologies that are beginning to contribute are small-scale anaerobic digestion of farm and industrial wastes for methane, thermochemical gasification of wood and wood wastes for fuel gases, mass burning of municipal solid wastes and combustion or co-firing of refuse-derived fuel for steam and electricity, landfill gas recovery for medium- and high-Btu gas, and biomass-derived ethanol fuel. With the exception of ethanol in unleaded gasoline blends, commercial applications of all of these technologies have shown slow to modest growth when compared with potential markets. However, sales of ethanol fuel have more than quadrupled since 1981. Sales of octane-enhancing methanol-cosolvent blends with gasoline and possibly neat methanol fuel are expected to show strong growth in the next few years, but biomass will probably not play a major role as a methanol feedstock. 176 references, 38 tables.

• Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6639540
• Report Number(s): CONF-840111-10; ON: TI84901421
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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090122 -- Hydrocarbon Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
090222 -- Alcohol Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
090400 -- Solid Waste & Wood Fuels-- (-1989)
140504 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
299003* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation-- Other-- (-1989)
ALCOHOL FUELS
ALKANES
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCONVERSION
BIOMASS
BIOMASS CONVERSION PLANTS
BIOMASS PLANTATIONS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
DIGESTION
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ETHANOL FUELS
FORECASTING
FUELS
GASIFICATION
HYDROCARBONS
MANAGEMENT
METHANE
MUNICIPAL WASTES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PLANNING
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
REFUSE DERIVED FUELS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SOLID WASTES
SYNTHETIC FUELS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
WOOD
WOOD WASTES