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Second generation crops will help to increase the amount of domestically grown biomass, but alternative end uses will also be needed to incentivise farmers to grow them
Water washing of biomass could be the most effective pre-process to reduce variability and reassure buyers that it is of the right quality standard for application
Bioenergy is versatile and already one of the largest sources of renewable energy in the UK and we need to understand how UK grown biomass can be deployed at scale
New research into increasing energy crop efficiency has revealed that water washing is the most effective technology to prepare crops for energy use, helping to reduce costs and lower emissions, says the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) in a new report released today.
With the potential to provide around 10 per cent of the UK’s energy needs by 2050, bioenergy is a hugely valuable source of low-carbon renewable energy that has the flexibility to produce heat, power, liquid and gaseous fuels. To meet this target, the UK will need three times more feedstock for the purpose of energy generation than currently used today.
Combining research from its Characterisation of Feedstocks project and its Techno-Economic Assessment of Biomass Pre-processing project, this report looks at the long-term potential of increasing domestically grown biomass by using second generation crops and reviewing the impact of pre-processing technologies on UK bioenergy value chains.
To ensure that second generation crops are fit for purpose, reassuring buyers that the biomass is of the right quality standard for application, the ETI’s project partners led by E4tech assessed a range of pre-processing technologies including forced drying, torrefaction, steam explosion and water washing. The research found that water washing was the most effective at improving biomass characteristics by removing surface contamination and encouraging problematic compounds to leech from the biomass.
Geraint Evans
Programme Manager
The ETI’s whole energy system analysis shows that bioenergy should be a strong contributor to a low-carbon energy system. This is because of its versatility as a variety of feedstocks can be used to produce heat, power, liquid and gaseous fuels. This versatility is a decarbonisation strength, but how it can be used effectively depends on decisions made in the wider energy system. If carbon capture and storage (CCS) is available, then combined with bioenergy it becomes especially effective as it could deliver negative emissions, (approximately 40Mt of CO2 per year, equivalent to just under half of the UK’s emissions target in 2050) offsetting the need for more expensive interventions elsewhere in the energy system. If CCS is not available then using bioenergy to generate heat and fuels particularly in otherwise difficult to decarbonise sectors is the most effective way of reducing emissions.
Therefore, there is a strong argument for the UK to develop the role of bioenergy beyond today’s level, including the use of second generation crops to increase the use of domestically grown biomass. Failure to develop the role of bioenergy beyond today’s level would cost an additional £200bn to meet UK climate targets .
However, our research has identified some of the technical and market barriers that the UK must overcome to meet these critical targets. One solution could be to develop new markets for second generation crops by blending them with other sources of biomass. This could help to scope out alternative end uses for second generation crops and support the investment decisions of farmers, who need a reliable market to sell in to before they commit to planting.
There is also a need to reduce the variability of second generation crops through pre-processing to maintain buyer confidence. We believe from our research that if water washing can be successfully commercially demonstrated, it is likely to be a more cost-effective option than other pre-treatment options in the development of UK grown biomass.
