2016 Billion-Ton Report Update Highlights New Resource Potential and Benefits of Biomass

Based on rigorous data and analyses, a variety of biomass resources can be utilized to support a flourishing and sustainable bioproducts economy.

Biomass processing has a lot of growth and application potential in the U.S. and world. Among the key reports that highlight this potential within the U.S. is the Billion-Ton Study, of which the third version has finally been released.

For ongoing Team Gemini project developments, these reports help inform lucrative opportunities as well as unique challenges that need to be addressed based on specific areas. But the overall potential from biomass is unmistakable, including generating electricity and thermal energy; compost and fertilizer; to bioethanol, jet fuel, and more. If applied and used effectively, biomass resources can make communities significantly more independent and sustainable in terms of energy supply.

Within 25 years, the United States could produce enough biomass to support a bioeconomy, including renewable aquatic and terrestrial biomass resources that could be used for energy and to develop products for economic, environmental, social, and national security benefits.

The 2016 Billion-Ton Report, jointly released by the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), concludes that the United States has the potential to sustainably produce at least 1 billion dry tons of nonfood biomass resources annually by 2040.

These renewable resources include agricultural, forestry, and algal biomass, as well as waste. They encompass the current and future potential of biomass, from currently available logging and crop residues to future available algae and dedicated energy crops—all useable for the production of biofuel, biopower, and bioproducts.

The report findings show that under a base-case scenario, the United States could increase its use of dry biomass resources from a current 400 million tons to 1.57 billion tons under a high-yield scenario.

Interactive tools available through the Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework allow users to visualize biomass availability scenarios and tailor the data by factors such as geographic area, biomass source and price. Researchers and decision-makers can use these features to better inform national bioenergy policies and research, development, and deployment strategies. Each diagram and map in the report is available in an interactive interface on the Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework.

Team Gemini treats biomass as a combined effort between waste processing (strictly organic and non-organic waste, cellulosic waste, and contaminated organic waste) and resource generation. Many technologies ultimately contribute to this goal, including protecting and treating valuable water resources, implementing sustainable agriculture, and maintaining proper methods of waste management.

With team members providing innovative Bio-Ethanol plants, Feedstock Pre-Treatment and Digestate-effluent Post-Treatment technologies, UDR Anaerobic Digesters, highly efficient CHP units, and Wastewater Treatment plants, Team Gemini offers a complete solution set for a variety of commodity-intensive industries. Design and development are integral in establishing economic viability, as various cost factors, technology configurations and applications, and other details vary from project to project. Team Gemini is part of this process, and making sure that all requirements are met and implemented for clients to most effectively apply sustainability measures in their operations.

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The original article on this subject can be found at this link.