October 28, 2007

Ontario Biomass Could Provide 1.6B Liters of Ethanol or 6.9 TWh of Electricity

Currently available agricultural residues could provide up to 1.6 billion litres (423 million gallons US) of ethanol for transportation fuel or 6.9 terrawatt hours of electricity in Ontario, according to a recent study examining the near-term potential of cellulosic biomass in the Canadian province.

Researchers at the University of Toronto used life cycle analyses to determine that co-firing available residues (an estimated 2.3 to 4.2 million tonnes annually) in existing coal-fired power plants could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province by 2.3 million tonnes. Alternatively, using the residues to produce ethanol/gasoline blends for transportation would reduce emissions by up to 2.5 million tonnes.

Using other sources of biomass, such as dedicated bioenergy crops, could provide additional emissions reductions; however, the near-term supply of such crops is uncertain and thus was not considered in the study.

At current oil prices, the most cost-effective option for reducing greenhouse gases is co-firing the residues, in large part because it would benefit from existing capital; in contrast, producing cellulosic ethanol would require a standalone facility.

Despite the difference in cost-effectiveness, the researchers say that producing ethanol is still an attractive end-use for the biomass for several reasons, including the need to meet the province’s 5% renewable fuel standard, the potential for improvements in cellulosic ethanol technology and economics, and the lack of other alternatives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

(A hat-tip to Bob!)

Resources

Y. Zhang, S. Habibi and H.L. MacLean. 2007. “Environmental and economic evaluation of bioenergy in Ontario, Canada.&rduqo; Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 57:919–933.