Biomass pre-processing study launches
11 Jul 2014
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) today launched a programme assessing the impact of pre-processing feedstocks on biomass energy generation performance.
It will be a systems level assessment of the economic and performance trade-offs associated with biomass feedstock pre-processing options, and the ETI today issued a request for proposals (RFP) to companies wishing to take part, with a submission deadline of 29th August.
The study, called The Techno-economic Assessment of Biomass Pre-processing project, will assess and compare two different bioenergy system approaches – one without any significant pre-processing steps between feedstock production and energy conversion process and one incorporating intermediate pre-processing activities.
It is important to further understand how to optimise bioenergy value chains at the system level
ETI programme manager Geraint Evans
“These steps may include processes to densify biomass to aid transportation and storage; processes to improve biomass handling; and/or processes to modify the chemical composition of the raw biomass feedstocks,” said an ETI statement issued with today’s RFP.
The project will run in conjunction with another ETI project launched last week to characterise UK grown feedstocks.
“It is important to further understand how to optimise bioenergy value chains at the system level,” said ETI bioenergy programme manager Geraint Evans, who is leading the selection process for the project.
“This requires an understanding of when pre-processing adds and doesn’t add value. Last week we launched a project to characterise UK grown feedstocks. This new project will work in parallel to that and build a detailed analysis of the system level value of biomass pre-processing activities.”
?The RFP for the pre-processing study can be viewed by clicking here.
