The wooden plants and the crop residues that have no timber value are the tremendous sources of biomass energy that can be utilized as fuel as well as gas production. By burning crop residue and wooden plants, steam is generated which is used for producing steam through with boilers and electricity in steam turbines. The resources of biomass energy include residues of crops and plants left in the field after harvest. These include rice straw, wheat, corn stovers, cotton sticks and, and crop waste generated by processing industries such as bagasse and rice husk.
POTENTIAL:
It is observed and estimated that every year about 50 million tons of crop residue is produced from main crops comprising 6.88 million tons of bagasse (sugarcane). This bagasse is being utilized for power generation by the sugar industries and consequently, the rest forty-three million tons of waste of crop is available in the Punjab province. The net available resource potential of four crops i.e. (wheat, cotton, rice & corn) for biomass power generation is calculated to be approximately 10.94 million tons after excluding commercial usage domestic consumption
SUPPLY CHAIN MECHANISM:
There is tremendous variation in waste and residues of crops generation and their uses in different areas of the province depending on the cropping intensity, productivity and crops grown. The expense of crop residues enhance with quantity increase to be collected because of the very long distance by which these residues are to be transported. Hence, a systematic package of practices is needed to develop for management of biomass from field to collection site is important
JUSTIFICATION:
Energy production from biomass of crops is entirely an innovative step in the province of the Punjab province according to our conditions to improve the socio-economic circumstances via the best use of residues of crops, wastes, and reduction in losses of field, without compromising the sustainability of crops/livestock production, soil health and environment.Department of Agriculture recognized resource of biomass of crops potential in Punjab via a survey but lacking the expertise of estimating exact biomass energy potential, modeling to predict prices of crops biomass, suggesting supply chain process and to propose many sorts equipments and machinery, list of best manufacturers of plants specifications and expenses as well as costs of biomass energy of biomass power plants (Rs. per KWh).
FUTURE PERSPECTIVES:
Punjab Government, through Agriculture Department and with the collaboration of Energy Department, has decided to furnish generation of power units at specific places in Punjab as mega projects. The Energy Department will also assist Agriculture Department to guide and execute proposed activities of project and facilitate the private sector an investors to develop power generation of biomass units and finish the necessary formalities for this goal. The consultant services are needed for specifications and size of the power generation machinery, its installation, operate and maintenance and bankable feasibility study on assessing the supply and chain of the biomass fuel including implications of finance.
The purpose of this article is to get an inventory of the state of the art of combustion of biomass technology and for comparison of efficiencies, investment expenses and emissions. The main focus was on power plants with a capacity greater than other power sources in Pakistan with minimum investment costs.
By: M. Shoaib Aslam
Environment protection |Nature conservation at wbmfoundation 