R&D Support for Near-Term

Bioenergy Opportunities in Canada

Jonathan Martin

Program Leader, Bioenergy Systems

International Wood Biorefining Week

May 25, 2016

Outline

1. Energy Opportunities in Canada

2. Forestry and Remote Communities in Canada

3. Introduction to NRC

4. NRC Research Support for Bioenergy

5. Areas of Focus for Collaboration

2

3

$0.089 $0.26

$0.13 n/a $0.079

n/a

$0.14 $0.17

$0.069 $0.40

$0.13 $0.14

$0.11 n/a

$0.15 $0.26

n/a $0.26

n/a $0.26

n/a $0.60

$0.12 n/a

Provincial residential rate ($/kWh, based on 1,000kWh)1

Average electricity rate to off-grid consumers ($/kWh)2

1. Electricity Rates by Province, Ontario Hydro

2. Status of Remote/Off-Grid Communities in Canada, NRCan, 2013 Map courtesy of: www.map-of-canada.org/

86

2 7

1

38

44 28

22 38

26

Report on 292 remote communities in Canada2

85.0

1.6

0.7 12.7

Solid Biofuels

Biogases

Renewable MSW

Liquid Biofuels

% of 500 PJ 25.9

70.3

3.8

Biofuels/Waste

Hydro

Other

% of 1,929 PJ

Share of Primary Energy Production (Canada, 2011)

4

7.6

9.3 1.2

18.0

32.1

34.3

Coal Nuclear

Other Renewables

Oil Natural Gas

% of 10,718 PJ

3000 PJ of residual/waste biomass

and energy crops could be

sustainably harvested annually

(NRC, 2006)

Canada’s Wood Harvest vs Supply

5

66% of the sustainable

harvest

Biomass Availability in Remote Communities

6

Bioenergy in Remote Aboriginal Communities, NRCan, 2016.

About NRC • Annual budget: ~$775M

• Over 4,000 employees and 650 volunteer and independent visitors

• Wide variety of disciplines and broad array of services

and support to industry

IRAP

Research

facilities

7

8

Strategically engaging

the entire value chain

Enablers

• Venture capital

• Business/tech experts

• Incubators

• Regulators

NRC Program Approach & Bioenergy Value Chain

Impact

Market Pull

NRC Investment

• Timely deployment (3-8 years)

• Public and private ROI

• Engage stakeholders along the value chain: long-term commitment and trust

• Co-investment ties success to industry needs

• World class capabilities: national & multidisciplinary

• Focus: fewer, more critical projects

9

Remote Communities

Remote Industry

Cities with MSW

Production

Efficiency

Equipment

Compatibility

Cost

Biofuel Production

Utilization in Power Plants

Feedstock

Conversion

Upgrading

Str

ate

gic

Su

pp

ort

Bioenergy Program Focus

10

• 25 years of expertise in industrial wastewater treatment; conversion of organic

solid wastes, sludge, energy crops and microalgal biomass into biofuel

• Pilot/mobile facilities for testing/optimization of digestion processes

• Laboratory- (soon pilot-) scale facilities for CO2/CH4 separation using proprietary

interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membranes

• Expertise in catalysis for support of chemical separation

Anaerobic digestion and biogas upgrading

11

• Production equipment for traditional and

advanced pellets including: presses, mixers,

knife mills

• Characterization equipment including: Moisture

analyzer, calorimeter, sulfur and carbon

detection, and thermal analysis

• Experience using novel binders for improving

key characteristics of solid biofuels

• Standardized durability testing methods for

analyzing solid fuels

Solid Biofuel Production and Upgrading

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Pyrolysis oil upgrading and combustion in turbines

• Analysis of key parameters to evaluate/

improve the suitability of oils for

combustion

• Laser- and optical-based diagnostic tools

for combustion optimization

• Experience with novel combustion

strategies for unconventional fuels

• Long-term material compatibility and

durability testing expertise

Press.(psia) Temp.(K) Flow Rate (lb/sec)

Air 25 ~ 120 Ambient 0.01 ~ 0.3

Fuel 30 ~ 550 Ambient ~

600 5 ~150 (lb/hr)

13

Codes and Standards support

• Small and medium scale gasification systems (< 5 MWth) have a great

potential for distributed CHP

• Gasification has unique safety hazards related to the generation of

toxic and explosive gases

• NRC has significant experience with

small-scale gasification and explosive

gases (including codes and standards)

• Expertise with real-time combustion

analysis and emissions testing

Techno-economic analysis

• Platform to evaluate competing

pathways for biomass-to-

bioenergy options

• Based on a technology

development matrix (TDM) of

key bioenergy conversion

pathways

• Built upon databases

maintained by NRC/partner

organizations

• Access to the multi-disciplinary

teams to address the unique

needs of each project

14

.

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Data collection and analysis for demonstration support

• NRC has significant experience in health management for aero-propulsion

systems suitable for stationary applications

• Online data collection and management systems

• Elemental analysis of Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Hydrogen and Sulfur

• Suitable for optimization of existing installations

Gasification and CHP Activities

Feedstock

• Processing, characterization

• Unique, environmental liability biomass

Conversion

• Downdraft gasification

• Low tar, optimized, flexible

Upgrading

• Clean-up technologies for tar, PM

• Practical, low cost

Power plant utilization

• Both spark-ignition and dual fuel engine solutions

• Reliable, efficient operation

Containerized gasifier facility

Remote monitoring

Utilization in Power Plants

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Fuel-flexible (producer gas –diesel

fuel) combustion solution

High efficiency

Retain ability to operate on

diesel fuel to increase

acceptance in remote

communities

Technology is being developed

using single-cylinder diesel

engines (25-75 kW)

Real time combustion analysis to

optimize fuel conversion efficiency

Regulated (HC, CO, PM, NOx) and

unregulated emissions

Waste heat recovery

Caterpillar Fuel-Flexible CI Engine

19 19

Thank you

Jonathan Martin

Program Leader, Bioenergy

Tel: 604-221-3069

Jonathan.Martin@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/bioenergy