Biomass energy: Diversified development can go further



"The potential is very broad, the reality is very weak" - at the fourth Global Biomass Energy Innovation and Development Summit Forum held recently, when the guests talked about the future and the present development of biomass energy in China, whether it is the competent authorities, industry organizations, leading enterprises, or colleges and universities, financial institutions, almost all gave a similar evaluation.

The "3060 zero-carbon biomass energy Development Potential Blue Book" shows that China's biomass energy development potential is about 460 million tons of standard coal, but the actual conversion into energy resources are less than 0.6 million tons of standard coal, and the conversion rate is only about 13%.

Carbon peak carbon neutral goal, how to stimulate the huge potential of biomass energy?

Direction: Diversified development

Increase industrial added value

According to the "2023 China Biomass Energy Industry Development Yearbook" recently released by the Biomass energy Industry branch of the China Industrial Development Promotion Association, at present, the utilization of biomass energy in China is mainly biomass power generation, biological natural gas, biomass clean heating, biological liquid fuel, pyrolysis gasification, etc., of which power generation is still the most important form of utilization.

In the view of Wang Dapeng, deputy director of the New Energy and renewable Energy Department of the National Energy Administration, diversified development and increased industrial added value are the key to the transformation and upgrading of biomass energy in China. Du Xiangwan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and deputy director of the National Energy Advisory Expert Committee, pointed out that biomass energy can be used for power generation, and there are rich non-electric utilization scenarios, and it is the only non-fossil energy that can be utilized through solid, liquid and gas in various forms, and it is necessary to make full use of this characteristic to develop biomass energy by using a multi-component whole industry chain model.

Du Xiangwan pointed out that taking Sweden as an example, at present, the proportion of biomass energy in Sweden's primary energy reaches about 34%, and through the way of "biodiesel + biogas + power generation", the contribution of biomass energy in Sweden's carbon emission reduction reaches about 25%. "In contrast, China's biomass energy still has great potential for development and utilization."

To this end, Wang Dapeng pointed out that in terms of power generation utilization, it is necessary to continue to tap the potential, include biomass power generation into the legal scope of green power certificates, promote biomass power generation projects to use its flexible and controllable characteristics to participate in power auxiliary services such as deep peak load, and encourage power generation projects to transform and upgrade to cogeneration according to local conditions. In terms of non-electricity utilization, it is more necessary to actively and steadily promote pilot demonstrations of biomass natural gas and biomass energy clean heating, encourage large leading enterprises to try first, and cultivate and develop new markets for diversified utilization of biomass energy.

Key: pay close attention to "coal biomass" and so on

Tackle key problems in green technology

In order to realize diversified development and utilization, technological innovation is essential. Ren Dongming, vice chairman of the Chinese Biogas Society and head of the Biomass Energy China Group of the International Energy Agency, said that at present, China should pay close attention to green low-carbon technologies in the field of biomass energy, such as biomass carbon capture and storage, biomass hydrogen production and other technologies should increase research efforts.

Chinese Agricultural University University material engineering Center professor Program admitted that in the level of raw material characteristics, biomass resources have a low energy and mass density of congenital deficiencies. "This short board leads to the difficulty and cost increase of raw materials in the collection, storage and transportation of all links, while the resource conversion path is limited and inefficient, which is the root cause of the high cost of almost all biomass enterprises and the difficulty of getting rid of subsidies to achieve real profits."

To solve this problem, Shi Yuanchun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that it is necessary to fundamentally change the energy and mass density attributes of biomass through innovative technologies, and break the technical bottleneck of using raw materials such as straw as the main raw materials of biological natural gas.

Taking the "coal-based biomass" path as an example, Shi Yuanchun's research team pointed out that, with reference to the development process of the modern coal chemical industry, through the "coal-based biomass" approach, a qualified industrial biobase synthetic gas stream is obtained, a biobase synthetic gas platform is established, and a large number of subsequent industries are derived, or it can become a great hope for the biomass industry to completely "turn over".

According to the program, at present, domestic enterprises have made certain attempts in the field of "coal-based biomass", using 1.3 biomass raw materials plus 0.2 superheated steam, it can be converted into 1 "coal-based biomass". Using "coal-based biomass" technology and referring to the process route of coal hydrogen production, biobased hydrogen-rich syngas can also be prepared. The program said that this new "green hydrogen" not only has the characteristics of zero carbon emissions, but also is safer, more stable and cheaper than pure hydrogen in storage, transportation and use.

Outlook: Power generation, heating, liquid fuels, etc

multiflowering

What kind of development environment will be created for the industry at the national level while enterprises and scientific research institutions make efforts to tackle technical problems?

Cheng Huiqiang, director of the Resource utilization and circular Economy Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that looking to the future, the National Development and Reform Commission will be committed to improving industry laws and regulations, accelerating the revision of the circular Economy Promotion Law, and formulating basic systems conducive to the diversified development of the biomass industry at the legislative level. At the same time, promote the diversified utilization of biomass energy from the aspects of improving the biomass collection, storage and transportation system, resource utilization system and policy system.

"In addition to policy guidance and support, the industry needs the initiative of enterprises, we also propose that enterprises take scientific and technological innovation as the lead, strengthen the research and development of biomass energy technology and equipment, pay attention to diversified development, and constantly improve the comprehensive benefits of biomass energy and added value of products." Cheng Huiqiang said.

The "2023 China Biomass Energy Industry Development Yearbook" predicts that combined with the current situation of biomass energy development in China, it is expected that by 2030, China's installed capacity of biomass power generation will reach 50 million kilowatts; Biomass clean heating (including cogeneration) as the focus of recent development, it is expected that by 2030, biomass clean heating area will reach 400 million square meters; As an important means of decarbonization in many fields, it is expected that by the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan", the annual output will exceed 1 billion cubic meters and reach 3 billion cubic meters in 2030. The bio-liquid fuel will be gradually applied to shipping and sea transportation, and it is expected that by 2030, the annual production will reach 25 million tons.