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JOULE JOR3-CT98-0309
Cotton biomass energy recovery (COBER)
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Contacts
To find similar Items, click on a keyword below:
Agricultural Residues
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JOULE/THERMIE Programme
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Solid Biofuels
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Thermochemical Conversion
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Type of Project |
Shared Cost |
| Contract No |
JOR3-CT98-0309 |
| EC Contribution |
665,275 ECU |
| Start Date |
01/06/98 |
| Duration |
30 Months |
Cotton biomass energy recovery (COBER)
Objectives
The COBER (COtton Biomass Energy Recovery)
project is going to investigate from the technical, environmental, logistics and socio-economics points
of view, the potentiality of energy production from the agricultural residues of cotton. The strategic
objective is to study the feasibility of a holistic biomass management system that includes all the above
mentioned views to support a power generation station of at least 20 MWe.
The tactical objectives are:
- To study the suitability of available cotton biomass feed stocks for advanced burning processes.
- To minimise fuel consumption of the end-user for energy production using advanced cogeneration
techniques.
- To study the qualification of innovative reverse logistics processes, systems and technologies for
collection, transportation and warehousing biomass.
- The study the feasibility of optimisation (~35%) of the overall efficiency of electricity production.
- The provide design principles for the limitation of harmful emissions below the limits established by
the European Commission.
- To study the possibility of reduction by 50% of parasite sources in the cotton plantations.
- To study the improvement of life quality with the utilisation of new technologies concerning the
commercial exploitation of the produced heat like cooling, teleheating etc.
- To examine the creation of new jobs in economically less favoured areas during idle periods of
the agricultural life.
Technical Approach
- Feedstock of agricultural residues: The optimisation of reverse logistics techniques, taking into
account the special characteristics of cotton biomass, will be one of the early project stages. Alternative
biomass will be sought for exploitation for the months that cotton biomass will not be available. The
feasibility study of the diffusion of cogeneration plants in the rural areas will be carried out. A pilot
cotton residues' collection machine is to be constructed. Experiments during the early stage of the project
will be carried out in order to investigate the chemical and physical properties of all relevant parts of the
cotton plant (roots, hulls, shrub, seeds, raw cotton).
- Combustion: Research on an innovative, efficient multi-fuelled combustor, certified for cotton
biomass and alternatives, will be curried out. Special care will be taken for the limitation and control of
harmful emissions (NOx and other pollutants). 12 month experiments will run
simultaneously in order to provide statistical weather data as well as an analysis of the existing air
pollution of the area.
- Energy production: The feasibility for electricity production will be studied. A variety of measuring
and software tools and the experimental certification of the solutions will be used. The study will be
continued in the feasibility of exploitation of the produced heat. A wide spectrum of energy
transformation methods like, refrigerators, teleheating methods will be investigated.
- Method validation: The validation of the proposed methodology by the industrial user will be
carried out. A trial and error technique will be implemented till the final acceptance. The criteria of
qualitative and quantitative acceptance of the results will be extremely important.
Expected Results
The main deliverables of the COBER project are:
- A pilot combustor of estimated thermal power in the range of 10-50 KW.
- A pilot cotton residues' collection machine with an estimated ability of transferring about 500
kg/hour cotton biomass or 1tn/hour of corn tree biomass.
- A logistics study for the collection, transportation and warehousing the cotton biomass.
- An environmental study for harmful emissions
- An engineering study for electricity production
Contacts
Coordinator
Participant
