Can biomass co-firing offer a viable solution to coal shortage and stubble burning?
Biomass co-firing is the practice of substituting a part of the fuel with biomass at coal thermal plants. Biomass co-firing stands for adding biomass as a partial substitute fuel in high efficiency coal boilers.
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Coal and biomass are combusted together in boilers that have been designed to burn coal. For this purpose, the existing coal power plant has to be partly reconstructed and retrofitted.
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Co-firing is an option to convert biomass to electricity, in an efficient and clean way, and to reduce GHG (Green house Gases) emissions of the power plant.
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Biomass co-firing is a globally accepted cost-effective method for decarbonising a coal fleet.
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India is a country where biomass is usually burnt on the field which reflects apathy towards resolving the problem of clean coal using a very simple solution that is readily available.
Significance
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Biomass co-firing is an effective way to curb emissions from open burning of crop residue, it also decarbonises the process of electricity generation using coal.
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It can help cut emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, address India’s burgeoning problem of farm stubble burning to some extent, reduce waste burden while also creating jobs in rural areas.
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India has large biomass availability as well as rapid growth in coal-fired capacity.
Challenges
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Substituting 5-7% of coal with biomass in coal-based power plants can save 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, but the existing infrastructure is not robust enough to turn this into reality.
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Around 95,000-96,000 tonnes of biomass pellets are required per day for co-firing, But India’s pellet manufacturing capacity is 7,000 tonnes per day at present despite a surplus 228 million tonnes of agricultural residue available in the country.
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This huge gap is due to the seasonal availability and unreliable supply of biomass pellets to the utility.
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It is challenging to store biomass pellets for long durations at the plant sites since they absorb moisture from air quickly, rendering them useless for co-firing.
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Only pellets with up to 14% of moisture can be used for combustion along with coal.
Road ahead
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Platforms need to be established to ensure farmers have an intrinsic role in this business model of pellet manufacturing and co-firing in power plants.
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To exploit co-firing potential without adverse environmental impact, emerging economies need technology and policy preparation.
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Sustainability indicators for bioenergy, including protection of soil and water resources, biodiversity, land allocation and tenure, and food prices, need to be integrated into policy measures.
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