Introduction:
Biomass Conversion and
Biofuels
Prof. Shushil Kumar
What is
Biomass?
• A renewable organic
material that comes
from plants and
animals.
Why
Biomass?
• Biomass a key
component of the
bioeconomy and a
sustainable
alternative to fossil
fuels
• Carbon-neutral
Why
Biomass?
• Renewable
• Carbon Neutral
• Waste Utilization
• Energy Security
• Plays a crucial role in
transitioning to sustainable
energy systems and fostering
a circular economy.
Biomass types
• Biomass types
[Link]
Biomass
types
Agricultural Biomass: Crop Residues are
the remains of harvested crops, including
stems, leaves, and husks
• Rice Straw
• Wheat Straw
• Sugarcane Bagasse
• Maize Stalks
• Cotton Stalks
• Groundnut Shells
Biomass
types
Forestry Biomass: Derived from
forest resources like trees,
shrubs, and other vegetation
• Forest Residues: branches,
twigs, bark, leaves, and wood
waste
• Wood Processing Residues:
Sawmills, plywood
manufacturing, and furniture
production generate
sawdust, wood chips, and
wood waste
Biomass
types
Urban and Industrial waste
• Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW): organic materials like
paper, cardboard, and wood
waste from households and
commercial establishments.
• Industrial Residues:
Generated by industries such
as sugar mills and rice mills,
these residues include bagasse
and rice husk, sawdust and
wood waste,
Biomass
types
Animal Waste and Manure:
organic resource from
livestock farming
• Cow Dung
• Poultry Litter
Energy Crops: explicitly cultivated for biomass production, offering high yield,
rapid growth, and efficient conversion into biofuels and biogas.
• Switchgrass: Known for its high biomass yield and low input requirements,
Biomass Used for cellulosic ethanol production.
types • Miscanthus: A perennial grass with high biomass productivity, harvested
annually and used for energy production.
• Jatropha:
• Willow: A fast-growing woody plant harvested every 2-3 years, used for
biomass pellets, biofuels, and biogas production.
Biomass
types
Aquatic Biomass: Biomass-
derived from aquatic sources,
including plants, algae, and
aquatic animals
• Algae: Microscopic plants rich
in proteins, carbohydrates, and
lipids
• Aquatic Plants: Species like
seaweed and water hyacinth
produce substantial biomass.
Biomass availability
Biomass distribution in India
• Crop Residues: Rice straw is abundant in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, while
wheat straw is expected in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Forestry Residues: Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu
• Animal Waste: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar.
• Energy Crops: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu
• Municipal Solid Waste: Urban areas across India
Biomass availability
• India produces ~ 990 MMT of agricultural biomass annually, which is the
second highest after China
• The surplus biomass availability is ~ 230 MMT
• A major proportion of this biomass is reported to be decomposed or
burnt in an uncontrolled manner
• This causes a significant reduction in surplus biomass availability.
• Channeling the surplus biomass for power generation and other
applications is very crucial.
Biomass
availability
• Available in all region
Biomass
availability
• Almost ~ 20% is surplus
biomass
Biomass
availability
• Significant biomass power
potential
Biomass availability
Biomass availability (Million tonnes/year)
192
228
7
14 18
18 185
23
70
Wheat Rice Maize Bajra Sugarcane Groundnut Rapeseed/Mustard Arhar Others
[Link]
Biomass availability
Surplus Biomass availability (Million tonnes/year)
42
Power generation
potential: ~30 GW
33
118
15
6
5
6 4 4
Wheat Rice Maize Bajra Sugarcane Groundnut Rapeseed/Mustard Arhar Others
[Link]
Biomass availability
RESIDUE AVAILABLE PER KG OF CROP
Wheat, 1.8
Arhar, 2.5
Rice, 1.7
Rapeseed/Mustard
, 1.8
Maize, 2.4
Groundnut, 2.3
Sugarcane, 0.4
Biomass
usage
A renewable source of energy
and raw material used in
various applications
• Fuel, electricity
generation
• Feedstock for
producing chemicals
and materials.
Biomass
usage:
Electricity
• Thermal power plants
traditionally use fossil
fuels to generate
electricity, causing
serious
environmental
repercussions.
Biomass
usage: Fuel
for boiler
• To generate steam or heat,
serving the production
process.
• Traditional boiler fuels
often include fossil fuels,
resulting in significant CO2
emissions and harmful
gases.
Biomass usage:
Production of
Biofuels
• Solid Biofuels: (Biomass
pellets, direct combustion
biomass) This type of fuel is
commonly used in boiler
systems, furnaces, kilns, and
stoves for heat or electricity
production.
Biomass
usage:
Production
of Biofuels
Liquid Biofuels:
Bioethanol,
Biodiesel,
Bio/Pyrolysis Oil
Biomass usage:
Production of
Biofuels
• Gaseous Biofuels:
Biogas, syngas, Green
hydrogen
Biomass usage:
Production of
Chemicals
• Ethanol, Acetic acid,
Acetone, Glycerol,
Lactic acid
Biomass usage:
Household
applications
• Heating, Cooking
Biomass
usage:
Livestock feed
• Livestock feed
Chemical characterization of
biomass
Cellulose
• Cellulose is a high-molecular-weight
linear polymer of d-glucose, with up to
10,000 monomer units.
• The most abundant polysaccharide
present in nature.
• It consists of glucose units linked by β-
1,4-glucosidic bonds.
• About 40%–50% of all the carbon on
the planet is estimated to occur in this
polymer.
• The structural basis of cellulose
is cellobiose, 4-o-β-d-glucopyranosyl-
d-glucopyranose Cellobiose
Cellulose
• The reactivity and morphology of cellulose
chains are substantially influenced by the
intermolecular hydrogen bond between the
hydroxyl group on C-3 carbon and the
oxygen of the nearby glycosidic ring.
• The formation of these bonds makes the
molecules more stable and rigid.
• The presence of many intermolecular
bonds can generate an orderly crystalline
region
Cellulose
• Organization of linear chains of
cellulose into microfibrils,
macrofibrils, and cellulose
fibers
• The association of microfibrils
into macrofibril aggregates gives
them great mechanical
resistance, similar to that of
steel
Cellulose
• It has a structure in which crystalline and amorphous regions alternate.
• Crystalline regions are very stable and resistant to attack by cellulase
enzymes.
Cellulose
• The most vulnerable part is the
amorphous region, which is attacked
by cellulase (an enzyme complex),
causing hydrolysis of the glucose in the
cellulose molecule.
• When cellulose is completely hydrolyzed,
D-glucose is produced,
• Through partial hydrolysis, a disaccharide
(cellobiose) and smaller polysaccharides
are formed (with n values ranging
between 3 and 10)
Cellulose
• Other polymers of d-glucose exist in nature, e.g, starch: consists of two
polymers, amylose (about 20%) and amylopectin (about 80%),
Starch
• Starch is a polysaccharide, and its production is the simplest and
most general method of energy storage in plants.
• The molecule is complex and consists of two components: amylose
and amylopectin.
• Amylose accounts for about 15%–25% of starch, and amylopectin
accounts for 75%–85%.
• Starch differs from cellulose by virtue of alpha-1,4-glucosidic bonds
in the case of amylose and alpha-1,4-glucosidic and alpha-1,6-
glucosidic bonds in the case of amylopectin.
Starch
• Structurally, amylose consists of
linear chains of d-glucose units
linked by α-(1–4) glycosidic
bonds (water soluble)
• Amylopectin has a similar
backbone to amylose, but its
branches are made up of glucose
units linked by α-(1–6) glycosidic
bonds (water insoluble)
Starch
Amylose
• Amylose has structural characteristics
similar to cellulose because both are
linear polymers of glucose, but cellulose
has β-(1–4) glycosidic bonds, whereas
amylose has α-(1–4) bonds.
• Cellulose forms long linear chains, while
amylose organizes in three-dimensional
helical structures
• Amylose is completely hydrolyzed to
glucose by β-glucosidase.
Starch
Amylopectin
• It is a highly branched polymer
structurally formed by α-(1–6)
branching of the amylose-type
α-(1–4)-d-glucose.
Hemicellulose
• Hemicelluloses make up about
20%–30% of lignocellulose
biomass.
• Consists of heterogeneous
branched polysaccharides.
• It is strongly linked to the
surface of cellulose
microfibrils.
• They are branched polymers,
whereas cellulose is linear
Hemicellulose
• Shorter chain length of 500–3000 glucose units compared
with the 10,000–15,000 glucose units of cellulose.
• While cellulose consists solely of glucose units linked with β-
1,4-glycosidic bonds, hemicellulose is a mix of
polysaccharides consisting mainly of sugars with five carbon
atoms (xylose and arabinose) and six carbon atoms (glucose,
galactose, mannose, and rhamnose).
• Different groups of molecules making up hemicellulose:
xylans, mannans, galactans, and arabinogalactans.
Hemicellulose
Xylans
• The main chain of xylan is
similar to that of cellulose
• Composed of D-xylose
(instead of D-glucose) as
monomeric unit
• Main backbone formed by β-
1.4 linkages between d-
xylose units and related
branches
Lignin
• Lignin is the most abundant polymer on the planet.
• Functions are of binding, cementing, and putting the fibers together in
order to enhance the compactness and resistance of the plant structure.
• Lignin covers the fibers.
• To extract cellulosic fibers from plant materials, lignin degradation is
essential.
• The lignin content varies according to plant species (25-30% up to values
around 50% for very hard woods).
Lignin
• By bonding covalently to
hemicellulose, lignin builds a stable
structural network with high
mechanical resistance and elasticity
• A large group of aromatic polymers
resulting from oxidative radical
polymerization of three alcohols : p-
coumaryl, coniferyl, and sinapyl
alcohols
• These molecules are called
monolignols
Lignin
• Lignin is a three-dimensional
polymer with interconnected
dendritic structure.
• Many polar groups and hydroxyl
groups allowing the establishment
of strong intramolecular and
intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
• These in turn make lignin insoluble
in any solvents except alkaline
solutions.
Minor organic components
• 2-40% of lipids, 6-71% of proteins, up to 6% of
nucleic acid in algae.
• 2-4% of acetyls in some straws and flax
• 1-4% of uronic acids in pine, eucalyptus, and
sorghum grass.
• Up to 10% of proteins in pine, reeds, spruce, birch,
and maize
Inorganic matter
• Metals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium,
phosphorus, silicon, aluminum, and iron
• Water-soluble residues such as chlorides, sulphates, oxalates,
nitrates, carbonates, and both organic and inorganic amorphous
materials.
References
• A review on biomass: importance, chemistry, classification, and
conversion. Antonio Tursi DOI:10.18331/BRJ2019.6.2.3
