I was trying to find out life cycle emissions of biomass at coal power plant for generating electricity if i use biomass with coal using SimaPro. Also, trying to find out emissions from only combustion of both fuel from whole life cycle emissions . I consider coal is readily available at power plant.
I have build my case for biomass and coal, used them as input at SimaPro [Energy-coal-power plant]. I have got emissions which is less than 100kg Carbon dioxide for 1MWh. but from different study i see that it should be at 900-1100 range.
Also, i can not find out a way to see emissions from only combustion of coal and biomass together in SimaPro.
I will be very grateful for any kind of help regarding this problem.
Thanks
Please check you EcoInvert process file for coal-fired power plant (cradle-to-gate). Look at the output flow for the electric power generation and make sure that it is set for 1 kWh.
According to my calculations, the value of global warming potential (GWP) for a coal-fired power plant should be 1,190 grams equivalent CO2 per kWh or 1,190 kg-equivalent/MWh
Hope this helps answer your question.
Professor Yehia Khalil, Yale University, USA
Fellow of the University of Oxford, UK
Biomass Electricity More Polluting Than Coal
Apr. 04, 2014 01:21PM EST
http://www.ecowatch.com/biomass-electricity-more-polluting-than-coal-1881884788.html
The report found that although wood-burning power plants are often promoted as being good for the climate and carbon neutral, the low efficiency of plants means that they emit almost 50 percent more CO2 than coal per unit of energy produced. Photo credit: Global Justice Ecological Project
Trees, Trash, and Toxics: How Biomass Energy Has Become the New Coal, released this week and delivered to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by the Partnership for Policy Integrity (PFPI), concludes that biomass power plants across the country are permitted to emit more pollution than comparable coal plants or commercial waste incinerators, even as they are subsidized by state and federal renewable energy dollars. It contains detailed emissions and fuel specifications for a number of facilities, including plants in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
“The biomass power industry portrays their facilities as ‘clean,’" said Mary Booth, director of PFPI and author of the report. “But we found that even the newest biomass plants are allowed to pollute more than modern coal- and gas-fired plants, and that pollution from bioenergy is increasingly unregulated.”
Respected Dr.Khalil
Thanks for kind response. I just need one more information.
In coal power plant ,i add an amount of biomass ( by reducing coal amount) in input . After adding this, i ran the SimaPro but i do not see any change in results due to biomass.
So, my question is , if i add biomass in input, do i need to add output emissions with respect to biomass amount ( from different literature) ? then run the model?
I am very confused in this stage.
Please, i need your kind suggestions on this.
Thanks
Based on the attached article Biomass is typically a poorer quality power plant feed (loer heating value) than most coals. I expect CO2 emissions ( per KW-hr of power produced) to be equivalent to low quality coal and a little worse than typical coal. I am not sure how rigorous SimaPro is (I am not familiar with it) but you can easily build a high pressure steam generation/ power generation model in any of the three Hysis products ( .KBC, Honewell or Aspen). to compare the two fuels.
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