Alan F. Rozich, Ph.D., P.E., DEEChairman & CEO

BioConversion Solutions

Exton, PennsylvaniaBoston, Massachusettswww.bioconversionsolutions.com

Other Inconvenient Truths -The Agricultural, Water,

Energy Nexus

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Contents Other Inconvenient Truths Beyond

Global Warming Sustainable Resource Challenges

and Tools The Agricultural, Water, Energy

Nexus Case Study and Example Paths Forward

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“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding

oneself in the ranks of the insane.”, Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, 161- 180 A.D.

Other Inconvenient Truths Beyond Global Warming

Global warming is a symptom. Although real, there are “other inconvenient truths” that will likely do us in much sooner unless we change societal functionality

A problematic, inconvenient triad, or “super nexus”, has emerged: • Population and economic expansion• Depletion of resources resulting in

increased resource cost• The need for economic and

environmental sustainability4

Economic and EnvironmentalSustainability

Depletion of Resourcesand Increased Cost &Decreased Availability Economic and

population expansion

An Inconvenient Triad

Tangible Examples Economic expansion means that China and India

will increase the world middle class by 3 billion people

A huge increased demand for all resources putting price pressure on these resources:• Energy• Water• Agriculture and food

Simultaneous population and economic expansion has a multiplicative impact on resource demand, not linear

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Sustainable Resource Challenges and Tools

Energy Water

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Energy

Traditional energy resources are finite. It is not a question of if these resources will run out but when.

Renewable energy sources and energy efficiency will be a must. A blended fossil fuel/renewable mix can provide for a societal transition to renewables.

Both fossil fuel and renewable can be graded on “energy returned on investment” or EROI. It is a simple maxim whose goal is to “grade” energy initiatives to determine real benefit.

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All energy comes from the sun. All energy sources on the planet are basically solar energy vectors.

“But at last his heart changed-and rising one morning with the rosy dawn, he went before the

sun, and spake thus unto it: ‘Thou great star! What would be thy

happiness if thou hadst not those for whom thou shinest!’”,

Zarathustra, from Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra

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0

50

100

150

200

250

Primitive Hunting PrimitiveAgricultural

Advanced Agricultural

Industrial Technological

Daily Energy Consumption Per Capita for Different Levels of Civilization (adopted from Cook (1971))

Tota

l Dai

ly P

er C

apita

per

Day

En

ergy

Con

sum

ption

(1

,000

Kilo

calo

ries)

Food

Home & Commerce

Industry & Farming

Transportation

Water

“Intra-societal” competing and conflicting demands for water are increasing as water is needed for energy and food production and human consumption.

There is only a finite amount of water on the planet. Human use cannot intrude on “peak ecological water” without causing irreparable damage to ecosystems.

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The dual increases in population and technological complexity of society are imposing more demand on water resources with a 40% “water gap” by 2030.

“Nothing is softer or

more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist

it.”, Lao Tzu, 6th Century

B.C.

Existing supplies Existing Needs 2030 Needs 2030 Deficit0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Domestic & municipal Industry

Agriculture Groundwater

Surface water Deficit

Billi

ons m

3 Wat

er

EXIS

TIN

GDE

FICI

T

Current and Predicted Global Water Needs

Tools

Engineering and Scientific Concepts

Microbiological and Biochemical Concepts

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Engineering and Scientific Concepts

Understanding mass and energy balances, “No matter where you go, there you are!”, Dr. Banzai

Energy fundamentals• Units• Difference between energy and power• Latent heat of vaporization• EROI – Energy Returned on Investment

Important aspects of chemistry

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Microbiological and Biochemical Concepts

Microbes manufacture their own very efficient “chemicals”, enzymes, to process materials.

Enzymes are special because they facilitate reactions quickly without the need for other chemicals or reaction conditions.

Microbial systems are predictable and can be engineered in a manner similar to physical or chemical reaction systems.

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“And scattered about it, … were the Martians--dead!-- slain as the red weed was being slain; slain, after all man's devices had failed, by the humblest

things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this earth.” H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds

Appreciating and understanding the power of microorganisms

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The Agricultural, Water, Energy Nexus

Water Supply

Energy

WaterResources

Agriculture & Food

The Agricultural, Water, and Energy Nexus

Interlinkages of resources create the nexus. Increased population and affluence increase resource demand. Water is needed for energy production. Energy is needed for water production. Water and energy are both needed for agriculture.

There is also a looming fertilizer crisis. Phosphorus mines are likely to be exhausted in a matter of decades. Without phosphorus, agriculture as we know it cannot function.

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Farming is the soul of agriculture going back almost 10,000 years. Current societal functionality is not possible without modern agriculture.

“Out here in the fields. I farm for my meals. I get

my back into my living.”,

Pete Townshend,

“Baba O’Riley”

Coal Natural Gas Solar PV Synfuel Coal Synfuel Oil Shale

Synfuel Tar Sands

Wind0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Water Requirements for Various Energy Sources, gallons needed per mBTU (million BTU) generated

Note: Oil is 1,800, Bioethanol is 16,000 & Biodiesel is 44,000

Beef Chicken Cereals Milk Vegetables Fruits Sugars Crops0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Water Footprint for Various Foods(Data from Mekonnen and Hoekstra,

2011)

Lite

rs p

er k

g

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• Most agricultural and food byproducts have organics, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and water. This means that these byproducts have multiple renewable products.

• High rate conversion biological systems have the ability to get high conversion rates of feedstock and produce recoverable water and fertilizer.

• An Australian meat processor saw the potential of the application of this technology to provide energy and water security and to increase profitability (http://www.tonywindsor.com.au/releases/130703.pdf).

• The processor, Bindaree Beef of Inverell began engineering of the system and development of a project to implement the technology.

Case Study and Example – Potential Solutions

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• One of Australia’s largest meat processors, Bindaree Beef of Inverell, capable of processing 1,300 cattle per day is in the process of implementing AFC2 technology. The purpose of this project is to implement this technology to process feedstock (waste) and make renewable energy, fertilizer, and water.

• The facility has been designated as a major CO2e generator under the Carbon Tax law that went into effect July, 2012. The major CO2e sources are methane that is emitted from lagoons and CO2 that is emitted from a coal-fired boiler.

• Company management saw the implementation of AFC2 as an opportunity to be compliant with the new Carbon Tax law AND to generate additional revenue through energy generation (electricity) and fertilizer production.

• Engineering analysis showed that implementation of AFC2 technology can be achieved economically without having to rely heavily on subsidies, credits, etc.

Case Study and Example

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• The implementation of the system will produce electricity, high quality fertilizer for sale, and Class A water create about 200 new jobs

• About 90% of the organic by-product/feedstock waste will be converted into renewable products

• Eliminate the need for landfill and the need to burn 7,200 tons of coal per year

• Generate about 2 MW of renewable electricity

Case Study and Example

Bindaree Beef, Australian Meat Processor

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AFC2 Pilot Plant at Bindaree Beef

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3D Depiction of Planned AFC2 System for Bindaree Beef

Paths Forward

Gradually transition to energy renewables using EROI methods and being cognizant of nexus considerations.

Make more use of biomass, the “multi-tasking renewable”. Biomass can produce energy, fertilizer, and water.

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“Mine” waste streams and other feedstocks to obtain resources previously obtained from current sources. For example, phosphorus can be obtained from biomass.

BREAK RESOURCE INTERLINKAGES.

“Oh friends, not these tones! Let us raise our

voices in more pleasing and more joyful sounds!” – Ludwig van Beethoven,

Symphony #9, 4thMovement, “Ode to

Joy”, 1825.

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Finis

Selected ReferencesMcKinsey Global Institute, Resource Revolution: Meeting the World’s Energy,

Food, and Water Needs, McKinsey and Company, San Francisco, November, 2011.

SAIC, Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and Practice, USEPA, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2006.

Cook, E., “The Flow of Energy in an Industrial Society”, Scientific American, September, 1971.

Janhardhan, V. and Fesmire, B., Energy Explained, Volume 1: Conventional Energy, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., New York, 2011.

 Hubbert, M., “The Energy Resources of the Earth”, Scientific American,

September, 1971

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Selected ReferencesOloman, Colin, Material and Energy Balances for Engineers and

Environmentalists, Imperial College Press, London, 2009.

Bothamley, J., Dictionary of Theories, Visible Ink Press, Canton, Minnesota, USA, 2002.

 Henry, J. G. and Heinke, G.W., Environmental Science and Engineering, Prentice

Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1989. Pankow, J.F., Aquatic Chemistry Concepts, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 1991.

Rozich, A. F. and Gaudy, A. F., Jr., Design and Operation of Activated Sludge Process Using Respirometry, Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1992.

Water Resources Group, Charting Our Water Future, 2030 Water Resources Group, 2009.

 

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Selected ReferencesGleick, P. and Palaniappan, M., “Peak water limits to freshwater withdrawal and

use”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107, (25): 11155–11162, 2010.

Hoornweg, D. and Perinaz Bhada-Tata, P., What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, World Bank, Washington, D.C., 2012.

Frankx, L., et. al., Optimising Markets for Recycling, ARCADIS Report for the European Commission – DG Environment, Antwerp, Belgium, 2008.

Hoff, H., “Understanding the Nexus”, Stockholm Environment Institute, Presented, Bonn2011 Conference The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus, November, 2011.

Schnepf, R., Energy Use in Agriculture: Background and Issues, CRS Report for Congress,CRS and Library of Congress, November 19, 2004.

 Younos, T., R. Hill, and H. Poole, Water Dependency of Energy Production and

Power Generation Systems, VWRRC Special Report No. SR46-2009, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, July, 2009.

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