4-07: Techno-economic assessment of pipeline hydro-transportation of agricultural biomass based on experimental research

One of the major barriers to the realization of large scale bio-refineries is the high biomass transport cost by truck.  Pipeline transportation is an ideal approach for moving aqueous based biomass materials to a processing plant, while taking the advantage of economy of scale. It also helps in reducing the road congestion. Over last few years, our research group has been working on this concept of pipeline transport of biomass in the form of a slurry with water. The concept includes chopping of the agricultural biomass (straw and corn stover), classification based on particle size, mixing of the classified biomass with water to form slurry, and pumping of this slurry through pipeline. In the experimental research using a 2 inch diameter and 25 m long pipeline, we have studied the mechanical behavior of biomass slurry for two types of feedstock, at various slurry concentrations, flow rates, and biomass particles sizes. We have developed corresponding pressure drop correlations to assess the power required to hydro-transport the feedstock along with other slurry behaviour.  We have also studied the sugar loss during transportation of biomass in the pipeline and developed associated correlations. These experimentally developed correlations were further used to develop the techno-economic assessment models to assess the cost of pipeline transport of biomass to a biorefinery.  These results will be presented and these would help in understanding behavior of the biomass slurry in a pipeline and the economic implications of this for delivery of biomass to a bio-based refinery.