Opportunities for biofuel production on M ori land Donna Giltrap, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Opportunities for biofuel production on Māori land

Donna Giltrap, Anne-Gaëlle Ausseil, Garth Harmsworth, Kevin Tate

Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research Private Bag 11052 Palmerston North

Biofuels are fuels derived from land via recent plant or animal material (biomass). Depending

• n the initial feedstock and processes used,

biomass can be transformed into a variety of gaseous or liquid fuels. If sustainably managed, biofuels are a source of renewable energy.

Biofuels

History of biofuels

• Biomass has been burned for heat since

pre-historic times (although not always efficiently or sustainably).

• 1826 Samuel Morey developed an engine

that ran on ethanol and turpentine.

• 1908 Henry Ford designed the Model T that

could run on gasoline, ethanol or a mixture

• f the two.
• During the World Wars there was increased

demand for biofuels

• From the lates 1940s to the late 1970s the

low price of fossil fuels reduced the market for biofuels

• Concerns about security of supply and

environmental impacts have renewed interest in biofuels. Some countries already have significant commercial biofuel production. Using biomass for energy is not a new concept.

Reasons for current interest in biofuels:

• Energy security – uncertainty about future
• il/gas supplies and costs.
• International/national moves to curb

greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. Kyoto protocol, UNFCC)

• Diversification of land use.
• Economic opportunities.

There are many types of biofuels

Feedstocks Processes

Wood

(e.g. forestry arisings, wood chips, short rotation coppicing)

Crops

(e.g. crops, straw, grasses, husks and shells)

Other Residues

(e.g. Municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, dairy effluent, tallow, whey, used cooking oil), algae Fermentation (Starch →) Sugar → Ethanol (Cellulose →) Sugar → Ethanol Esterification Oils + Methanol → “Biodiesel” + Glycerol Pyrolysis Woody material → “Bio-oil” + char + fuel gas Thermochemical gasification Solid dry fuel → Fuel gas (methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide mixture) Anaerobic digestion Wet organic matter → Methane (“natural gas”) Landfill gas

Energy as a by-product vs Energy farming ?

International biofuel production

Ethanol

Country Ethanol Production (billion litres, 2004) Feedstock Brazil 15.5 Sugarcane United States 13.7 Corn China 3.7 Corn, wheat EU 2.3 Grains, sugar beet India 1.8 Sugarcane Australia 0.1 Grains, sugarcane, sweet sorghum

International biofuel production

Ethanol production 2004

37.0% 32.8% 9.0% 5.5% 4.3% 0.3%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Brazil US China EU India Australia Ethanol production (% total

International biofuel production

Biodiesel

Country European Union In 2000 there were 15 commercial esterification sites and 535 million litres biodiesel produced in the EU. Biodiesel mainly produced from rapeseed (with some sunflower and safflower seed). United States 58 million litres biodiesel consumed in 2002. Produced from soybeans and recycled restaurant grease. Brazil In 2005 opened first major biodiesel

• refineries. Soyminas plant is capable of

producing 12.4 million litres biodiesel/year. Australia Some biodiesel available commercially.

New Zealand’s Energy Situation

New Zealand Total Primary Energy Supply, 2003

Oil 36.4% Coal 10.4% Hydro 11.4% Gas 23.9% Other renewable 6.9% Geothermal 11.0%

(Figures for year ending 2003)

Total primary energy supply = 749.6 PJ

• 71% Fossil fuel
• 29% Renewables

Total domestic transport energy = 207.6 PJ Petrol = 3.6 billion litres (104.7 PJ) Diesel = 2.6 billion litres (94.0 PJ) NZ Renewable Energy Target of 2PJ renewable transport energy by 2012.

New Zealand’s Energy Situation

Biofuels in New Zealand

• Pilot scale wood to ethanol plant built in Rotorua in 1979.
• Fonterra currently produces 17-21 million litres/year ethanol

from whey (mostly for export).

• Argent Energy is investigating New Zealand’s biodiesel
• potential. New Zealand produces enough tallow to replace 6-

7% of current diesel demand if converted to biodiesel. However biofuels are not yet widely available in New Zealand.

Energy yields of selected crops

Crop Gross energy yield per tonne (GJ/dry tonne)1 Equivalent amount

• f petrol (litres),

energy basis Lupins Pasture Peas Maize (grain/stover) Lucerne (Hay) Winter green crop Gorse Straw residue Fodder beet Sugar beet Macrocarpa 20.7 18.9 18.8 19.0/18.1 18.2 18.1 18.0 17.8 17.7 17.6 17.5 714 651 648 655/624 627 624 620 614 610 607 603

1Does not account for energy cost of growing, harvesting and transporting crop.

Energy yields of selected crops

Crop Net energy yield per ha (GJ/ha) Equivalent amount

• f petrol (litres),

energy basis Fodder beet Gorse and macrocarpa Maize ex pasture Maize ex maize Winter green crop Gorse Macrocarpa Lucerne (Hay) Pasture Lupins Sugar beet Peas Straw residue 363 285 276 265 207 193 189 189 186 159 153 82 70 12,500 9,800 9,500 9,100 7,100 6,650 6,510 6,510 6,410 5,480 5,270 2,830 2,410

Can fuel crops be grown sustainably?

Case study: Invermay Energy Farm Project, 1978 Three crops (maize, oats, kale) grown over a 2 year rotation. Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion. Digester effluent returned to fields as fertiliser.

After 6 years continuous cropping, very few significant differences in yield and soil biochemistry between conventionally fertiliser and digester effluent treatments.

Squares = digester effluent; Crosses = inorganic fertiliser; Triangles = water only

Availability of suitable land

• Soil types and climate matched to crop needs
• Topography
• Current land use
• Proximity to processing plants
• Not too fragmented
• Other potential land uses
• Sustainability

Need to consider:

Landcare Research Ltd databases

Site investigations can provide detailed assessment at the site scale.

Database Name Contains Possible uses:

Land environments of New Zealand (LENZ) Land classification layers based on climate, soil properties and landform. Suitable for regional scale scoping exercises. Land Resource Information System (NZLRI) Land use capability assessments, soil properties, vegetation cover, pastoral and forestry production parameters. With expert interpretation can be used to give more detailed assessment

• f land suitability for

specific crops

Crop suitability example – Hokianga and Western Kaipara region

Land use capability classes

LUC class % of NZ land area Description 1 0.7% 4.55% 9.22% 4 10.5% Severe limitations to arable use. More suitable to pastoral and forestry. 5 0.8% Unsuitable for cropping. Pastoral and forestry. 6 28.1% Non-arable land. Moderate limitations and hazard under perennial vegetation cover. 7 21.4% With few exceptions can only support extensive grazing or erosion control forestry. 8 21.8% Very severe limitations or hazards for any agricultural use. Most versatile multiple-use land – virtually no limitations to arable use 2 Good land with slight limitations to arable use 3 Moderate limitations to arable use restricting crops able to be grown

Māori Land

“Māori land” is defined by Te Ture Whenua Māori Act

• 1993. This definition is used by the Māori Land Court

whenever it is required to determine the status of Māori

• land. The status may be one of the following:
• Māori freehold land: Land that, with very few exceptions,

has not been out of Māori ownership. The Māori Land Court determines whether land is Māori freehold land.

• Māori customary land: Land held by Māori in accordance

with tikanga Māori. It has not been transferred into freehold title by the Māori Land Court, nor ceded to the

• Crown. Before 1840, all land was Māori customary land.

Today, the exact amount is unknown but is believed to be extremely small.

• General land owned by Māori: Land owned by five or

more people, where the majority of the owners are Māori.

Māori land

Māori land by suitability class

Class 2 2.3% Other 1.2% Class 1 0.3% Class 3 4.9% Class 8 15.5% Class 7 31.7% Class 6 33.7% Class 5 0.4% Class 4 9.9%

Total Māori land area = 817 866.26 ha

Most versatile land

Limited cropping. Suitable for cropping, pasture or forestry. Pastoral and forestry. (May have moderate limitations under perennial pasture)

• 142 676 ha of Māori land has an LUC suitable

for cropping

• 21 190 ha is highly versatile land
• 121 486 ha has moderate to severe

limitations.

• 278 870 ha of Māori land has an LUC that

could support pasture or forestry for biofuels.

Māori land and biofuels

Other issues

• Sustainable land management
• Financial issues
• Technical issues
• Public perceptions

Sustainable land management

• Erosion
• Soil compaction
• Nutrient depletion – could biofuel crops be

used to remove surplus nutrients?

• Appropriate crop rotations
• Climate change/Kyoto protocol
• Does the biofuel production process use

more energy than it produces?

Financial issues

• Economic feasibility needs to be assessed.
• Need to invest in infrastructure!
• Optimum scale of operation
• Carbon tax in 2007: ~4c/litre petrol
• Other potential land uses.
• Other potential feedstock uses.

Oil prices likely to continue to increase

Technical issues

• Technically feasible.
• Availability of relevant technical expertise.
• Blends of up to 20% bioethanol should work

in unmodified spark ignition engines.

• Blends of up to 100% biodiesel can run in

conventional diesel engines. However, at 100% minor modifications required. Engine durability may not be guaranteed.

• Liability?

Public Perceptions

• An EECA survey found 79% of New Zealanders

supported the concept of biofuels once it had been explained to them. Positive aspects – good for the environment, good for the economy, independence of fuel supply, way of the future Possible obstacles – price, lack of knowledge, damage to vehicles, legacy of past alternative fuel schemes.

Potential benefits

Economic

• Security of fuel supply/cost.
• Diversification of land use.
• Development of a new resource.

Environmental

• Cleaner burning fuel.
• Reduction in net CO2 production.
• Erosion management.
• Removal of surplus nitrogen.

Social

• Employment opportunities.