Estimating profitability of two biochar production scenarios: Slow pyrolysis vs fast pyrolysis

Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining

Volumn 5, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 54-68

  Brown, Tristan R ^a   Wright, Mark M ^a   Brown, Robert C ^a  

^a IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Bio oil; Biochar; Corn stover; Fast pyrolysis; Slow pyrolysis

Indexed keywords

BIO OIL; BIOCHAR; CORN STOVER; FAST PYROLYSIS; SLOW PYROLYSIS;

AGRICULTURAL WASTES; COSTS; EARNINGS; ECONOMICS; FEEDSTOCKS; GASOLINE; INVESTMENTS; PETROLEUM REFINING; PROFITABILITY;

PYROLYSIS;

EID: 78751618637     PISSN: 1932104X     EISSN: 19321031     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/bbb.254     Document Type: Article

References (39)

1. Birdsey RA, Regional Estimates of Timber Volume and Forest Carbon for Fully Stocked Timberland, Average Management After Cropland or Pasture Reversion to Forest, in Forests and Global Change, Vol. 2, Forest Management Opportunities for Mitigating Carbon Emissions, ed by Sampson RN and Hair D, American Forests, Washington DC, Appendix 3.
2. Glauber JW, Prospects for the US farm economy in 2009. [Online]. Available at: [October 2, 2010].
3. Brown TR, Elobeid A, Dumortier J and Hayes DJ, Market impact of domestic offset programs. [Online]. Available at: [October 2, 2010].
4. Brown LR, Biofuels blunder: Massive diversion of US grain to fuel cars is raising world food prices, risking political instability. [Online]. Available at: [October 2, 2010].
5. Neves E, Petersen J, Bartone R and Augusto Da Silva C, Historical and socio-cultural origins of Amazonian Dark Earth, in Amazonian Dark Earths: Origins, Properties, Management, ed by Lehmann J, Kern DC, Glaser B and Woods WI. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dodrecht, pp. 29-50 (2003).
6. Winsley P, Biochar and bioenergy production production for climate change mitigation. New Zealand Science Review 64(1):5-10 (2007).
7. Lehmann J, Skjemstad J, Sohi S, Carter J, Barson M, Falloon P et al., Australian climate-carbon feedback reduced by soil black carbon. Nat Geosci 1(12):832-835 (2008).
8. Lehmann J, Pereira da Silva J, Steiner C, Nehls T, Zech W, Glaser B et al., Nutrient availability and leaching in an archaeological Anthrosol and a Ferralsol of the Central Amazon basin: fertilizer, manure, and charcoal amendments. Plant Soil 249(2):343-357 (2003).
9. Rondon M, Greenhouse gas emissions decrease with charcoal additions to tropical soils, in Proceedings of the Third USDA Symposium on Greenhouse Gases and Carbon Sequestration, Baltimore (2005), Soil Carbon Center, Kansas State University, United States Department of Agriculture.
10. Rondon M, Molina D, Hurtado M, Ramirez J, Lehmann J, Major J, et al., Enhancing the productivity of crops and grasses while reducing greenhouse gas emissions through bio-char amendments to unfertile tropical soils, in Proceedings of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science, Philadelphia, pp. 138-168 (2006).
11. 2O emissions from soil resulting from rewetting air-dried soil in short-term laboratory experiments. Soil Sci Plant Nutrit 53(2):181-188 (2007).
12. Downie A, Van Zweiten L, Chan KY, Doughtery W and Joseph S, Nutrient retention characteristics of agrichar and the agronomic implications. Poster presented at the International Agrichar Initiative Conference Terrigal, Australia (2007).
13. Dunisch O, Lima V, Seehann G, Donath J, Montóia V, Schwarz T et al., Retention properties of wood residues and their potential for soil amelioration. Wood Sci Technol 41(2):169-189 (2007).
14. Jones SB, Valkenburg C, Walton CW, Elliott DC, Holladay JE, Stevens D et al., Production of Gasoline and Diesel from Biomass via Fast Pyrolysis, Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking: A Design Case. Tech Rep. PNNL-18284 Rev. 1, Pac. Northwest Natl. Lab., Richland, Washington (2009).
15. Wright MM, Daugaard DE, Satrio JA, Brown RC, Techno-economic analysis of biomass fast pyrolysis to transportation fuels. Fuel DOI:10.1016/j.fuel.2010.07.029 (2010).
16. Cottam M and Bridgwater A, Techno-economic modeling of biomass flash pyrolysis and upgrading systems. Biomass Bioenerg 7(1):267-273 (1994).
17. Bridgwater A, Toft A and Brammer J, A techno-economic comparison of power production by biomass fast pyrolysis with gasification and combustion. Renew Sust Energ Rev 6(3):181-246 (2002).
18. Ringer M, Putsche V and Scahill J, Large-scale pyrolysis oil production: a technology assessment and economic analysis. NREL/TP-510-37779, Natl Renew Energy Lab, Golden, Colorado (2006).
19. Laird DA, Brown RC, Amonette JE and Lehmann J, Review of the Pyrolysis Platform for Producing Bio-oil and Biochar: Technology, Logistics and Potential Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Water Quality, Soil Quality and Agricultural Productivity. Biofuels, Bioprod Bioref 3:547-562 (2009).
20. Roberts K, Gloy B, Joseph S, Scott N and Lehmann J, Life Cycle Assessment of Biochar Systems: Estimating the Energetic, Economic, and Climate Change Potential. Environ Sci Technol 44(2):381-387 (2010).
21. McCarl B, Peacocke C, Chrisman R, Kung C and Sands R, Economics of biochar production, utilization and greenhouse gas offsets, in Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology, ed by Lehmann J and Joseph S. Earthscan, pp. 341-358 (2009).
22. Mullaney H, Farag I, LaClaire C and Barrett C, Technical, environmental and economic feasibility of Bio-oil in New Hampshire's North Country. [Online]. Available at: [October 2, 2010].
23. Holmgren J, Marinangeli R, Nair P, Elliott D and Bain R, Consider upgrading pyrolysis oils into renewable fuels. Hydrocarb Process Sept: 95-103 (2008).
24. Laird D, The charcoal vision: A win win win scenario for simultaneously producing bioenergy, permanently sequestering carbon, while improving soil and water quality. Agron J 100(1):178 (2008).
25. Solomon D, Lehmann J, Thies J, Schäfer T, Liang B, Kinyangi J et al., Molecular signature and sources of biochemical recalcitrance of organic C in Amazonian Dark Earths. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 71(9):2285-2298 (2007).
26. Tenenbaum D, Biochar: carbon mitigation from the ground up. Environ Health Persp 117(2):A70 (2009).
27. Steiner C, Teixeira W, Lehmann J, Nehls T, de Macêdo J, Blum W et al., Long term effects of manure, charcoal and mineral fertilization on crop production and fertility on a highly weathered Central Amazonian upland soil. Plant Soil 291(1):275-290 (2007).
28. Blackwell P, Riethmuller G, Collins M, Biochar application in soil, in Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology, ed by Lehmann J and Joseph S. Earthscan, 2009.
29. Woods W, Teixeira WG, Lehmann J, Steiner C, WinklerPrins AMGA, Rebellato L et al., Amazonian Dark Earths: Wim Sombroek's Vision. Springer (2008).
30. Peters M, Timmerhaus K and West R, Plant Design and Economics for Chemical Engineers 5th ed, McGraw Hill Chemical Engineering Series, Colorado (2003).
31. Aden A, Ruth M, Ibsen K, Jechura J, Neeves K, Sheehan J et al., Lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol process design and economics utilizing co-current dilute acid prehydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis for corn stover. Tech Rep. ADA436469, Natl Renew Energy Lab, Colorado (2002).
32. Energy Information Agency, Energy market and economic impacts of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. [Online]. Available at: [October 2, 2010].
33. Johanns AM [TITLE] [Online]. Available at: (
34. Graham R, Nelson R, Sheehan J, Perlack R and Wright L, Current and potential US corn stover supplies. Agron J 99(1):1 (2007).
35. Hess J, Kenney K, Wright C, Perlack R and Turhollow A, Corn stover availability for biomass conversion: situation analysis. Cellulose 16(4):599-619 (2009).
36. Atchison JE and Hettenhaus JR, Innovative Methods for Corn Stover Collecting, Handling, Storing and Transporting. NREL/SR-510-33893, Natl Renew Energy Lab, Golden Colorado, (2003).
37. Badger PC and Fransham P, Use of mobile fast pyrolysis plants to densify biomass and reduce biomass handling costs - A preliminary assessment. Biomass Bioenerg 30(4):321-325 (2006).
38. Uslu A, Faaij APC and Bergman PCA, Pre-treatment technologies, and their effect on international bioenergy supply chain logistics. Techno-economic evaluation of torrefaction, fast pyrolysis and pelletisation. Energy J 33(8):1206-1223 (2008).
39. API, Motor fuel taxes. [Online]. Available at: [October 2, 2010].