Novel Ecological Biomass in the MB Bioeconomy

Pilot-scale harvesting of cattail (Typha spp.) for nutrient capture, bioenergy, and high value bioproducts

www.iisd.org ©2012 The International Institute for Sustainable Development

What is the What is the BioeconomyBioeconomy?? The bioeconomy encompasses the use of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy via innovative and efficient technologies.

Functional

Watershed

© Ducks Unlimited Canada

Ecosystems impacted – reduced EGS

Ecosystems provide critical Environmental benefits (EGS)

•Flood storage •Drought resilience •Nutrient capture •Wildlife habitat •Biomass

Dysfunctional

Watershed

• Natural buffers gone or severely degraded

4

An abundance of water and nutrientsAn abundance of water and nutrients

Meanwhile...that noxious Meanwhile...that noxious pollutant, phosphorus, pollutant, phosphorus,

is is actually a scarce and strategic actually a scarce and strategic resourceresource

• Lake Winnipeg - one of the most eutrophic large lakes in the world

• Flooding and nutrient management issues provide economic opportunity through innovative solutions

• Surface water management

• Biomass – Bioenergy, biofuels, Bioproducts

• Phosphorus capture & recycling

• Wetland Restoration

Lake Winnipeg and The Lake Winnipeg and The

Manitoba Manitoba BioeconomyBioeconomy

• Cattail biomass harvesting for nutrient capture and bioenergy - approach intercepts, sequesters, recovers stored nutrients

• Cattail plants absorb nutrients through roots – phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N)

• Sequester carbon from the air (CO2)

• Sustainable renewable biomass for bioenergy and higher value bioproducts

• Combines bioremediation with habitat renewal and GHG reductions

• Fundamental concept - we’re turning a waste/pollution stream into an input for sustainable biomaterial production – key building block of the Bioeconomy.

NetleyNetley--LibauLibau

NutrientNutrient--Bioenergy Bioenergy

Project Project (2006(2006--2010)2010) P P P P P

P N CO2

Cattail Biomass

Cattail Harvesting for Nutrient Removal Cattail Harvesting for Nutrient Removal and Bioenergy Production

Emissions out

Ash OUT

Cattail Biomass IN

Cattail P IN

Cattail Biomass Harvest

Yield: 10 to 20 T/ha

Biomass Transport

(Baled)

Biomass Densification

(cubes, pellets)

Bioenergy

Nutrient Capture and

Removal

88%

Phosphorous

Recovery

P Recovery

Biomass Burner

Heat Energy

Phosphorus captured:

20 to 60 kg / hectare

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

Summer Fall Winter Spring Ph

osp

ho

rus

(% a

s d

ry b

iom

ass)

Maximum

Median

Minimum

Translocation to roots Loss from freeze/thaw

Seasonal Nutrient Loss in Seasonal Nutrient Loss in Cattail 2006Cattail 2006--20102010

8. google earth snapshots of high-biomass sites

Lake WinnipegLake Winnipeg

Pilot Scale Cattail harvesting 2012 to 2013

Pilot Scale Cattail harvesting 2012 to 2013

Pelly’s Lake Cattail Harvesting 2012Pelly’s Lake Cattail Harvesting 2012--20132013

Cattail Harvesting 2012Cattail Harvesting 2012 •

•

•

Cattail Harvesting 2012Cattail Harvesting 2012 • MacDon windrower with 20 ft draper header

• Rated weight of windrower and header system 6635 kg – half the weight of

typical harvesters (11000-13000 kg)

• Cut and swathed dry and baled (round and square)

Cattail Harvesting 2013Cattail Harvesting 2013

•

•

•

•

Cattail Harvesting 2013Cattail Harvesting 2013

• MacDon windrower with 16 ft Rotary Disc Cutter (for forage)

• Crimping rollers to accelerate drying

• Green cattail cut and swathed (75% moisture)

• 1 to 2 weeks baled (6 - 15% moisture)

Cattail Baling 2012 and 2013Cattail Baling 2012 and 2013

•

•

Cattail Baling 2012 and 2013Cattail Baling 2012 and 2013

• 2012 – round bales and square bales

• 2013 – large square bales

Urban Ecological Biomass HarvestingUrban Ecological Biomass Harvesting

in the City of Winnipeg 2013in the City of Winnipeg 2013

• 25 km of main drainage ditch

• 50 - 75 tonnes of cattail diverted

• 45 - 150 kg of phosphorus captured

• 25 km of main drainage ditch

• 50 - 75 tonnes of cattail diverted

• 45 - 150 kg of phosphorus captured

European “Wet Agriculture” harvester & balerEuropean “Wet Agriculture” harvester & baler European “Wet Agriculture” harvester & balerEuropean “Wet Agriculture” harvester & baler

TOTALS 2012

Harvested cattails (dry basis) 260 tonnes

Phosphorus in harvested cattail 230 kg

Harvested area 75 ha

Biomass yield per area 13 T/ha

Potential biomass (dry basis) 600 tonnes

Potential phosphorus in harvested cattail 540 kg

Average phosphorus per area 7 kg/ha

Biomass and Phosphorus Biomass and Phosphorus captured captured (2012)(2012) ((1 1 tonnetonne = = 1000 1000 kgkg))

Unit Operation

MAFRI

Custom

Rate

($/hr)

Pilot

Research

Rate

($/hr)

Hours MAFRI

Custom Rate

Total

Pilot Harvest

Rate

Total

Windrower:

Self propelled, 18-24’

draper header (includes

$2.25/hr swath roller)

$117.47 $174.90 14 $1,644.58 $2,448.59

Baling :

5'x6' round bale, 80 hp

tractor

$94.03 $140.00 56 $5,265.68 $7,840.00

Bale Mover:

Pull type, 7-12 round bale,

120 hp tractor

$113.07 $168.47 *41 $4,635.87 $6,907.45

Total Estimated Cost $11,546.13 $17,196.04

Cost Per Bale (575 round bales): $20.08 $29.91

Cost Per Dry Mass (260 tonnes): $52.46 $78.13

EstimateEstimate of Field Operation of Field Operation CostsCosts

Biomass Calorific

Value MJ/kg BTU /lb

Volatile Components

(%)

Fixed Carbon (%) Ash Content

(%)

Cattail 17.29 to 18.2 7739 64 to 76 16.82 5.47 – 7.64

Cattail pellet (no binder) 19.9 8551 64.5 28.9 6.5

Cattail pellet (starch binder) 16.8 7223 68.5 25.3 6.2

Wood (15 % mc) b 15.0 to 22.3 7309 > 70 - 0.65 to 1.52

Wood chips 10.4 4471 > 70 - 0.6 to 1.5

Wheat Straw (dry) 17.3 7438 72.9 - 8.3

Wheat Straw (20 % mc) b 13.74 5907 - - 4

Flax Straw (dry) b 19.97 8586 - - -

Flax Straw (20 % mc) b 15.43 6634 - - -

Alfalfa c 16.1 6922 - - 7.94

Coal (anthracite) 29.5 12683 - - 10.5

Coal (Bituminous) 20.9 to 33.4 10748 - - 6 to 9.8

Coal (lignite) b 15.31 6582 - - 7.3

Energy value and proximate analysis (% dry basis) Energy value and proximate analysis (% dry basis) (sources: a Alberta Research Council 2009, b Pami 1995)

Carbon (%) Hydrogen (%) Nitrogen (%) Sulphur (%)

Cattail 38 - 44 5 - 6 0.8 - 1.3 0.1 - 0.3

Wood 47 - 53 6 0 - 0.4 0 - 0.1

Straw 42 5.1 0.4 0.2

Corn stover 43 - 0.6 0.01

Coal

Anthracite

80 0.9 0.7

Bituminous 52 - 82 1 - 1.5 1 - 1.5

Lignite 40 0.7 1

Natural Gas 75 24 0.9 0

ElementalElemental analysisanalysis ((%% drydry biomass)biomass)

Cellulose Hemicellulose Lignin

Current Study 37 - 40 18 - 21 8 - 13

Saskatchewan (1979) 20 - 29 24 - 36 15

Minnesota (1980) 31 - 33 19 - 20 -

North Carolina (2009) 28 23 10

CelluloseCellulose andand ligninlignin cattailcattail ((%% drydry biomass)biomass)

Water Quality Trading Water Quality Trading --

Lake Lake SimcoeSimcoe

Lake Simcoe, like Lake Winnipeg, is a highly eutrophic lake in Southern Ontario subject to point and non-point phosphorus loads. Goal to reduce P load to 44 T/year from 80 T/year Actions to improve water quality

• Phosphorus Reduction Strategy

• Stormwater management

• Water Quality Trading (WQT)

Phosphorus becomes a commodity - creates values & stimulates innovation

Price schemes up to $400/kg of P removed

Water Quality TradingWater Quality Trading

• Demonstrated willingness to pay for phosphorus removal as public benefit in Canada has exceeded $400/kg for Water Quality Trading (WQT)

• Technologies under consideration for Lake Simcoe - unit phosphorus removal costs $500-2500/kg

• Estimated cost to reduce all Lake Simcoe point sources to discharge threshold of 0.05 mg P/L = $1459/kg P

• Pelly’s Lake value of P removed: 2012 harvest (230 kg) water quality trading credit ($50/kg to $400/kg) = $11,500 to $92,000

City of Winnipeg – urban ditches

Diversion From Landfill and methane avoidance

Harvested and Baled Cattail biomass

Biomass products

Biochar

Combustion

Livestock bedding

Soil amendment

Crop scale trials

Nutrient extraction

Liquid nutrient extract

Shredded loose biomass

Greenhouse fertilizer trials

Densify: Cubes & pellets

Solid Fuel

Biochar

Gasification

Treated Biomass

Syngas

High value fertilizer

Carbon Offset Credits

Ash

Rural storm and ditch wetlands

Exploration of higher value Exploration of higher value bioproductsbioproducts biofuels, biofuels, biocharbiochar, liquid fertilizer, composites, liquid fertilizer, composites

• Cattail harvesting is a sustainable and renewable resource with

significant environmental benefits and economic potential

• Important proof of concept - demonstrates harvesting ecological biomass, which soak up nutrients that would cause eutrophication, key driver for regional bioeconomy

• Nutrient management + novel biomass production combined with surface water management - applied to engineered wetlands, storm water basins, and ditches for greater economic gains

• Mechanism to capture and recover phosphorus - reduce watershed loading profitably, rather than at cost both environmentally and economically

• Creating value for ecological biomass - incentives for conservation and restoration of wetlands on marginal agricultural land

• Alternative revenue for landowners - otherwise unproductive land

ConclusionsConclusions

www.iisd.org ©2012 The International Institute for Sustainable Development

Average

Biomass yield (T/ha) 10 - 20 tonnes

Moisture (baled) 6 - 25 (% dry matter)

Phosphorus content 0.05 - 0.25 (% dry matter)

Phosphorus capture 10 - 40 (kg/hectare = 1-2 kg/bale)

Ash content 5 - 7 (% dry matter)

Phosphorus in ash 1 – 3 (% dry matter)

Average Yield (T/ha) Days to Maturity

Typha

IISD (2006-2013) 10 to 20 90

North Carolina, USA (2009) 16 (42 max) 90

Minnesota, USA (1980) 25 90

Wheat straw 1 - 3 90-100

Corn stover 5 110-120

Flax residue 1 99-110

Switchgrass 9 - 14 3 years

Miscanthus 6 - 48 3 - 5 years

Willow 7 - 10 3 years

TyphaTypha biomassbiomass characteristicscharacteristics andand comparisonscomparisons

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

5 June 06

19 June 06

11 July 06

26 July 06

15 Aug 06

30 Aug 06

19 Sept 06

03 Oct 06

1 May 07

19 June 07

04 July 07

17 July 07

3 Aug 07

21 Aug 07

30 Aug 07

21 Sept 07

04 Oct 07

20 Aug 08

11 Sept 08

27 Aug 09

Kg

of

P /

hecta

re

OP 1

OP 2

SP 3

SP 4

BP 5

SP N

Phosphorus captured (kg/hectare) in harvested Phosphorus captured (kg/hectare) in harvested TyphaTypha

20 to 60 kg of P

per Hectare of Typha ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 to 20 tonnes DM per

hectare yield