Feasible conditions for Japanese woody biomass utilization

Takashi Amemiya; Masato Denou; Hiroshi Enomoto; Takuya Ito; Kenji Kaibe; Naomi Sawada; Miyuki Tomari; Yukihiko Matsumura

doi:10.1007/s11356-021-13966-8

Feasible conditions for Japanese woody biomass utilization

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Oct;28(37):51060-51071. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13966-8. Epub 2021 May 11.

Authors

Takashi Amemiya¹, Masato Denou², Hiroshi Enomoto³, Takuya Ito⁴, Kenji Kaibe⁵, Naomi Sawada⁶, Miyuki Tomari⁷, Yukihiko Matsumura⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Products Engineering and Environmental Management, Nippon Institute of Technology, 4-1 Gakuendai, Miyashiromachi, Saitama, 345-8501, Japan.
² GPSS Engineering Inc., Shibakoen ND Bldg. 6F, 2-5-10 Shiba, Minato-ku, 105-0014, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan.
⁴ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Institute of Technology, Numazu College, 3600 Ooka, Numazu-shi, Shizuoka, 410-0022, Japan.
⁵ Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
⁶ Japan Woody Biomass Association, 3-12-5-604 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-0016, Japan.
⁷ Biomass Industrial Society Network, 3-15-12 Shiinokidai, Kashiwa, 277-0945, Japan.
⁸ Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan. mat@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.

PMID: 33977426
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13966-8

Abstract

There is an abundance of woody biomass in Japan. However, its economic feasibility is limited. There have been several discussions on whether generation of heat or electrical power is more suitable for woody biomass. In this study, we clarified the feasibility of generating heat and electricity from the viewpoint of biomass unit price and biomass productivity based on actual operation data for the first time. It was determined that heat production is feasible for a small-scale biomass energy use of 2,660 t/year or more. Electrical power generation is feasible only for a large-scale biomass energy use of 13,100 t/year or more, but it allows use of woody biomass with a higher unit price.

Keywords: Biomass fuel unit cost; Feedstock annual supply; Heat; Maintenance cost; Plant cost; Power.

MeSH terms

Biomass
Electricity*
Hot Temperature
Japan
Wood*