Energy crops take a roasting
A process used to roast coffee beans could give Britain's biomass a power boost, increasing the energy content of some of the UK's leading energy crops by up to 20 per cent.
The study, carried out by engineers from the University of Leeds, examined the combustion behaviour of crops grown specifically for energy creation when put through a mild thermal process called 'torrefaction' – more usually associated with coffee production.
Torrefaction is increasingly seen as a desirable treatment for biomass because it creates a solid product which is easier to store, transport and mill than raw biomass.
The study examined the energy crops willow, canary grass and agricultural residue wheat straw to see what happened when they went through the torrefaction process and how they behaved at a range of temperatures when they were heated to create an energy-enhanced fuel.
Results showed that the treated materials needed less time and energy to heat to burning point, and also that they offered increased energy yields upon burning.
Willow emerged as having the most favourable properties, in that it retained more of its mass in the torrefaction process and also performed best in terms of its energy yield. As an example, willow was shown to have an 86 per cent energy yield, compared with 77 per cent for wheat straw and 78 per cent for reed canary grass.
"Raw biomass takes up a lot of space and has a low energy density which makes it costly – environmentally and economically – to transport. Plus you need more of it than say, coal, to produce energy efficiently," says Professor Jenny Jones who worked on this study with PhD student Toby Bridgeman.
"Torrefaction is not currently used in the UK in either the agricultural or the energy sectors," says Bridgeman. "But our paper shows that it has a lot of benefits, besides those to do with fuel handling, so we feel it's definitely something we'd like to explore further."
This research was supported by the Supergen Bioenergy Consortium, an initiative created by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of its commitment to funding research which will help the UK reach EU targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions and increased use of renewable energy.
Further information from:
Clare Elsley, Campuspr:
tel 0113 258 9880, mob: 07767 685168,
email: clare@campuspr.co.uk
Simon Jenkins, University of Leeds Press Office:
tel 0113 343 5764,
email s.jenkins@leeds.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
1. This research is published in the current issue of FUEL, in a paper entitledTorrefaction of reed canary grass, wheat straw and willow to enhance solid fuel qualities and combustion properties. Copies of the paper are available to journalists.
2. SUPERGEN Bioenergy Consortium is researching power generation from biomass thermo-chemical conversion of vegetable matter especially crops such as miscanthus, switchgrass and reed canary grass. The consortium is also looking at the impacts of biomass on the environment and the rural economy. This is to make sure that energy production is sustainable and to find out how farming practices may need to change to grow energy crops rather than food crops. The consortium partners are Aston University, Cranfield University, University of Leeds, University of Manchester, University of Sheffield, University of Ulster, Alstom, E.ON UK plc, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Rothamsted Research and Rural Generation Ltd.
3. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Leeds comprises five Schools:
Civil Engineering; Computing; Electronic and Electrical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering and Process, Materials and Environmental Engineering.
All schools in the Faculty have the highest 5 or 5* Research Assessment Exercise ratings, top teaching assessments and strong industrial connections. There are approximately 3,000 students in the Faculty, 80% undergraduates and 20% postgraduates. Two-thirds of our students are from the UK with the remainder representing over 90 different nationalities.
4. The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a turnover approaching £450m, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. It was placed 80th in the 2007 Times Higher Education world universities league table. The University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015.
5. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests more than £500 million a year in research and postgraduate training to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and from mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements in everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. For more information visit www.epsrc.ac.uk/
6. Campuspr is a public relations company that specialises in promoting university research and knowledge transfer in the higher education sector. For more research press releases, see www.campuspr.co.uk
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