EDITORIALS & ARTICLES

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.

      • 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.

      • 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.

    • Biomass co-firing is a globally accepted cost-effective method for decarbonising a coal fleet.

    • 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

    • 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.

      • Substituting 5-7 % of coal with biomass in coal-based power plants can save 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

    • 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.

    • India has large biomass availability as well as rapid growth in coal-fired capacity.

Challenges

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • This huge gap is due to the seasonal availability and unreliable supply of biomass pellets to the utility.

    • 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.

    • Only pellets with up to 14% of moisture can be used for combustion along with coal.

Road ahead

  • 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.

  • To exploit co-firing potential without adverse environmental impact, emerging economies need technology and policy preparation.

  • 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.







POSTED ON 12-06-2022 BY ADMIN
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