Development of the Integrated Biomass Supply Analysis and Logistics Model (IBSAL)

The Integrated Biomass Supply & Logistics (IBSAL) model is a dynamic (time dependent) model of operations that involve collection, harvest, storage, preprocessing, and transportation of feedstock for use at a biorefinery. The model uses mathematical equations to represent individual unit operations. These unit operations can be assembled by the user to represent the working rate of equipment and queues to represent storage at facilities. The model calculates itemized costs, energy input, and carbon emissions. It estimates resource requirements and operational characteristics of the entire supply infrastructure. Weather plays an important role in biomass management and thus in IBSAL, dictating the moisture content of biomass and whether or not it can be harvested on a given day. The model calculates net biomass yield based on a soil conservation allowance (for crop residue) and dry matter losses during harvest and storage. This publication outlines the development of the model and provides examples of corn stover harvest and logistics

U.S. Billion-ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry

The Report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (generally referred to as the Billion-Ton Study or 2005 BTS), was an estimate of “potential” biomass within the contiguous United States based on numerous assumptions about current and future inventory and production capacity, availability, and technology. In the 2005 BTS, a strategic analysis was undertaken to determine if U.S. agriculture and forest resources have the capability to potentially produce at least one billion dry tons of biomass annually, in a sustainable manner—enough to displace approximately 30% of the country’s present petroleum consumption. To ensure reasonable confidence in the study results, an effort was made to use relatively conservative assumptions. However, for both agriculture and forestry, the resource potential was not restricted by price. That is, all identified biomass was potentially available, even though some potential feedstock would more than likely be too expensive to actually be economically available. In addition to updating the 2005 study, this report attempts to address a number of its shortcoming

Large-scale alcohol production from corn, grain sorghum, and crop residues

The potential impacts that large-scale alcohol production from corn, grain sorghum, and crop residues may have on U.S. agriculture in the year 2000 are investigated. A one land group interregional linear programming model is used. The objective function is to minimize the cost of production in the agricultural sector, given specified crop demands and constrained resources;The impacts that levels of alcohol production, ranging from zero to 12 billion gallons, have at two projected levels of crop demands, two grain-to-alcohol conversion and two milling methods, wet and dry, rates are considered. At the lower level of crop demands, 1980 crop exports are used and at the higher level of demands, one-half times 1980 crop exports are used. A rate of conversion which reflects current technology, 2.6 gallons of alcohol per bushel of grain, and one which reflects a maximum potential rate of conversion, 3.0 gallons per bushel of grain, are incorporated into the model;The impacts that large-scale fuel alcohol production has on U.S. agriculture are small. The major impacts that occur are the substitution of milling by-products, DDG, gluten feed, and gluten meal, for soybean meal in livestock feed rations. Production of 12 billion gallons of alcohol is estimated to be equivalent to an 18 percent increase in crop exports. Improving the grain-to-alcohol conversion rate from 2.6 to 3.0 gallons per bushels reduces the overall cost of agricultural production by 989 billion when 12 billion gallons of alcohol are produced.</p

Billion Ton Report

The 2011 Billion-Ton Update (BTU) found that in 2030 between 1.0 and 1.5 million dry metric tons of biomass would potentially be available in the United States at $66 per dry metric ton or less, with 70 to 80% of this biomass available for new uses. The BTU revises the 2005 Billion-Ton Study (BTS), which found between 0.9 and 1.2 million dry metric tons potentially available. The BTU includes presently used resources, and forest resources, agricultural residues, and energy crops. The BTU contains county level supply inventories of primary feedstocks, supply curves for the individual resources, and a more rigorous and explicit modeling of sustainability. The BTU has two scenarios, Baseline and High-Yield

Estimating region specific costs to produce and deliver switchgrass.

Abstract Feedstock costs are expected to be a major component of the cost of producing bio-based products from lignocellulosic biomass. The economic viability of using switchgrass to produce feedstock will depend on its cost relative to alternatives. The purpose of this chapter is to present estimates of the cost to produce, harvest, store, and transport switchgrass biomass. Enterprise budgets and sensitivity analysis are used to produce cost estimates. Delivered switchgrass costs can vary widely, depending on yields, input prices (seed, fertilizer and lime, and diesel fuel), input quantities (fertilizer and lime, herbicides), and land costs. Establishment costs amortized over 10 years range from $38 to$112 ha -1 and reseeding costs (25% of land in second year) (amortized over 9 years) range from $10 to$18 ha -1 . Baler productivity is important, and can impact costs up to a $16 dry Mg -1 . Costs of switchgrass delivered range from as low as$42 to well over $100 dry Mg -1 if yields are low. The ultimate challenge is to formulate a profitable switchgrass production, storage, and delivery system simultaneously with profitable conversion to bio-based products

Cost Methodology for Biomass Feedstocks: Herbaceous Crops and Agricultural Residues

This report describes a set of procedures and assumptions used to estimate production and logistics costs of bioenergy feedstocks from herbaceous crops and agricultural residues. The engineering-economic analysis discussed here is based on methodologies developed by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA). An engineering-economic analysis approach was chosen due to lack of historical cost data for bioenergy feedstocks. Instead, costs are calculated using assumptions for equipment performance, input prices, and yield data derived from equipment manufacturers, research literature, and/or standards. Cost estimates account for fixed and variable costs. Several examples of this costing methodology used to estimate feedstock logistics costs are included at the end of this report

Regional impacts of groundwater mining from the Ogallala Aquifer with increasing energy prices 1990 and 2000

The Ogallala is an unconfined fresh-water aquifer extending from just north of the Nebraska-South Dakota border to the southern edge of the Texas High Plains. The areal extent of the aquifer includes the eastern tier of counties in Colorado and New Mexico, the western third of Kansas, three counties in Oklahoma, the greater part of the state of Nebraska and the Texas "panhandle." The area assumed to overlie the aquifer adjusted to county lines is shown in Figure 1! Discontinuous segments of the Ogallala Aquifer have also been identified in other areas such as central Kansas and south-eastern Colorado and Wyoming. The aquifer may also stretch into counties adjoining the study area; the northern edge of the aquifer, for example, is actually located in South Dakota but the aquifer is of minor economic significance in these regions.</p