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Integrated system analyses, technoeconomic analyses, life cycle assessments
(LCAs), and other analysis tools are essential to our research and development efforts. They
provide an understanding of the economic, technical, and even global impacts of renewable
technologies. These analyses also provide direction, focus, and support to the development
and commercialization of various biomass conversion technologies. The economic feasibility
and environmental benefits of biomass technologies revealed by these analyses are useful
for the government, regulators, and the private sector. NREL's Energy Analysis Office integrates and supports the
energy analysis functions located in many of the laboratory's research programs and technology
centers.
Technoeconomic analyses (TEAs) are performed to determine the potential economic
viability of a research process. Evaluating the costs of a given process compared to the
current technology can assess the economic feasibility of a project. These analyses can be
useful in determining which emerging technologies have the highest potential for near-,
mid-, and long-term success. The results of a TEA are also useful in directing research
toward areas in which improvements will result in the greatest cost reductions. As the
economics of a process are evaluated throughout the life of the project, advancement
toward the final goal of commercialization can be measured. TEAs performed in previous
years have determined the technical and economic feasibility of various biomass-based
systems, including:
- Fermentation
- Hydrolysis
- Direct combustion
- Pyrolysis
- Gasification combined cycle power systems
NREL's analysis capabilities include proficiency with the following software
packages:
| Software | Function |
| ASPEN Plus© | Models continuous processes to obtain material and energy balances |
| GateCycleTM | Performs detailed steady-state and off-design analyses of thermal power systems |
| Questimate© | Performs detailed process plant cost estimates |
| MATLAB® and MathCAD® | Perform numeric calculations and mathematical solutions |
| Crystal Ball® | Operates within Microsoft Excel® and incorporates uncertainties in forecasting analysis results |
Representative publications from this work are available as Adobe Acrobat
PDFs (Download Acrobat Reader)
including:
- Cost and Performance Analysis of Biomass-Based Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle
(BIGCC) Power Systems, K. Craig and M. K. Mann (1996) (PDF 4.16 MB)
- Renewable Energy Technology Characterizations for Biomass (1997)
- Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current
Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis For Corn Stover, A. Aden, M. Ruth,
K. Ibsen, J. Jechura, K. Neeves, J. Sheehan, B. Wallace, L. Montague, A. Slayton, and
J. Lukas (2002) (PDF 4.93 MB)
- Determining the Cost of Producing Ethanol From Corn Starch and Lignocellulosic Feedstocks,
A. McAloon, F. Taylor, W. Yee, K. Ibsen, R. Wooley (PDF 525 KB)
Additional TEA publications can be found in the NREL Analysis Documents Database.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analytic method for identifying, evaluating,
and minimizing the environmental impacts of emissions and resource depletion associated with a specific
process. When such an assessment is performed in conjunction with a technoeconomic feasibility study, the
total economic and environmental benefits and drawbacks of a process can be quantified. Material and
energy balances are used to quantify the emissions, resource depletion, and energy consumption of all processes,
including raw material extraction, processing, and final disposal of products and by-products, required to make
the process of interest operate. The results of this inventory are then used to evaluate the environmental
impacts of the process so efforts can focus on mitigation. LCA studies have been conducted on the following
systems:
Power generation technologies:
- Biomass-fired integrated gasification combined-cycle system using a biomass energy crop
- Pulverized coal boiler representing an average U.S. coal-fired power plant
- Cofiring biomass residue with coal
- Natural gas combined-cycle power plant
- Direct-fired biomass power plant using biomass residue
- Anaerobic digestion of animal waste
Biofuels Production Technologies:
- Ethanol from corn stover
- Comparison of biodiesel and petroleum diesel used in an urban bus
Hydrogen production technologies:
- Natural gas-hydrogen production
- Wind/electrolysis
For these analyses, the software package used to track the material and energy flows
between the process blocks in each system was Tools for Environmental Analysis and Management
(TEAM®).
These LCA reports are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Acrobat Reader. Additional reports
can be obtained through the NREL Analysis Documents Database.
- Life-Cycle Analysis of Ethanol from Corn Stover, J. Sheehan (2002) (PDF 596 KB)
- Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen Production via Natural Gas Steam
Reforming, P. L. Spath, P. L. and M. K. Mann, (2001) (PDF 634 KB)
- Life Cycle Inventory of Biodiesel and Petroleum Diesel for Use in an
Urban Bus: Final Report, J. Sheehan, V. Camobreco, J. Duffield, M. Graboski,
and H. Shapouri (1998) (PDF 1.51 MB)
- Life Cycle Assessment of a Biomass Gasification Combined-Cycle System,
M. K. Mann and P. L. Spath, (1997) (PDF 10.55 MB)
The following tools and databases are available as resources for biomass researchers.
Standard Biomass Analytical Procedures
These NREL and analogous ASTM laboratory procedures provide tested and accepted methods for performing
analyses commonly used in biofuels research.
Biomass Feedstock Composition and Properties Database
The Biomass Program has analyzed more than 150 (as of 10/01) samples of potential biofuels feedstocks including
corn stover, wheat straw, bagasse, switchgrass and other grasses, and poplars and other fast-growing trees.
Thermodynamic Data for Biomass Conversion and Waste Incineration (PDF 10.88 MB)
This National Bureau of Standards/NREL report provides heat of combustion and other useful data for biopower
and biofuels research on a wide range of biomass and nonbiomass materials.
Theoretical Ethanol Yield Calculator
This tool allows you to calculate the theoretical ethanol yield of a particular biomass feedstock,
based on its sugar content.
Glossary of Biomass Terms
The glossary contains commonly used biomass terms and their definitions.
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