Bernardo Ospina PatiñoExecutive Director-CLAYUCA

b.ospina@cgiar.orgwww.clayuca.org

RUSBI (Rural Social Bio-refineries)An option for small-scale,cassava-based bioenergy projects

Acknowledgements

MADR –Colombia

Tropical Fruits Program-CIAT (Fontagro Project)

IFAD-ICRISAT-CIAT Project

Financial support from:

Technical support from (Brasil):

USI – Usinas Sociais Inteligentes

UFRGS – Universidade Federal Río Grande do Sul

RUSBITechnological components

1

4

5

2

3

Competitive and sustainable production technologies for three energy crops: cassava, sweet sorghum and sweet potato

Local uses for hydrated ethanol

Technology platform for sustainable management of wastes and effluents

Technology platform for production of hydrated ethanol

Technologi platform to obtain fermentable biomass

Agricultural Development

Food Safety

Energy Self-Sufficiency

500 – 1000 liters/day

10 – 20 farmers families

US$ 100.000

Hydrated ethanol (96% GL)Flex-fuel technology

20% more consumption per kilometer20-30% cheaperCO2 reduction

Clean-cooking stoves1 liter hydrated ethanol = 4 hours cooking

Low cost stovesHouseholds health; deforestation

Bio-electricity4 liters hydrated ethanol = 1 hour electricity

110-220 v ; 8.5 kwa400 light bulbs

Crops processing at village levelImproved quality of life in poor rural

households

Why RUSBI? What for?

Component 1. Competitive and sustainable production technologies for three energy crops: cassava, sweet sorghum and sweet potato

What did work?

Varieties

Productiontechnology

What did not work?

Easy access of farmers to improved varieties(sweet potato and sweet sorghum)

(Sweet potato,sweet sorghum)

Why not?

“Restrictions”

Why?

Solid scientific base(CGIAR Research and collaborators)

Component 2. Technologies platforms to obtain fermentable biomass

What did not work?

Artificial drying system

What did work?

Technology platform(chipping, grating, drying, milling)

Why?

Solid scientific base(CGIAR Research and collaborators)

Why not?

More sophisticated technology

More expensive

On-going work

Production of refined cassava flour

Component 3. Technology platform for production of hydrated ethanol

What did not work?

Processing costs

Energy balance

Why not?Still highNeed to reduce dependency on imported inputs (enzymes, yeast)

Neutral net energy balance

What did work?Prototype

Conversion process

Process efficiency

Quality

Why?

Good Community of practice

Good partners(USI-Brasil, UFRGS-Brasil, Ministery of Agriculture-Colombia, SoilNet-USA, Colombian Universities and others)

Rural Social Bio-refineries

Ethanol production (liter): 250

Ethanol production (gallon): 66,1

Descriptive Item Unit Quantity Cost (Col$/Unit) Total cost (Col$) %

a. Raw material Cassava roots kg 2.530 $ 100 $ 253.000 37,9%

b. Cassava flour productionEnergy kWh 46,1 $ 260 $ 11.986 1,8%Labor day 2 $ 48.500 $ 97.000 14,5%

c. Hydrated ethanol production

Water m3 2,685 $ 1.600 $ 4.296 0,6%Energy kWh 50,3 $ 260 $ 13.078 2,0%Wood kg 212,8 $ 100 $ 21.280 3,2%

Enzymes kg 3,6 $ 24.840 $ 89.424 13,4%Yeast kg 2,4 $ 32.760 $ 78.624 11,8%Urea kg 1,8 $ 1.300 $ 2.340 0,4%Labor day 2 $ 48.500 $ 97.000 14,5%

1. Sub-total (Col$) $ 668.028 100%

2. Cost recovery from sale of residues kg 220 $ 200 $ 44.000

3. Total cost = 1-2 (Col$) $ 624.028

4. Ethanol cost (Col$/liter) $ 2.496

5. Ethanol cost (USD/liter) $ 1,39

6. Depreciation: 5 years, 250 days/year, Initial investment : US$150,000 (USD/liter) $ 0,48

7. Total cost = 5+6 (USD/liter) $ 1,87

8. Total cost (USD/gallon) $ 7,07

Production costs of ethanol from cassava

Cassava roots

Dry chips Cassava flour

Residues

2530

940 720 220

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

ELECTRIC ENERGY

Cassava flour production (kWh) 45,0

Hydrated ethanol production (kWh) 50,3

Subtotal (kWh) 95,3

Subtotal (MJ) 342,9

THERMAL ENERGY

Hydrated ethanol production (MJ) 3932,5

TOTAL 4275,4

PILOT PLANT PRODUCTION

Hydrated ethanol (liter/day) 250

ENERGY BALANCE

Energy input per liter (MJ) 17,10

Energy output per liter (MJ) 23,37

Energy balance 1,37

Washing + chipping

Natural drying

Milling + refining

Hydrolysis + Fermentation (HFS)

Distillation

CASSAVA FLOUR

HYDRATED ETHANOL

7 Motors (0,25 - 5 HP)

7 Motors (0,5 - 2

HP)

CASSAVA ROOTS

Component 4. Local uses for hydrated ethanol

What did work?

Uses as fuel, bioelectricity, clean cooking stove

Good market potential

Why?

Good quality of the hydrated ethanol for use as biofuel

Equipments available(cars, stationary engines, clean cooking stoves)

What did not work?

Bioelectricity Station Engine

Why not?

Functioning problems

Difficult maintenance

On-going work

Applications of hydrated ethanol

Characteristic Unit Specification ABNT/NBR (1) Result

Appearance - (2) Claro

Color - (3) Incoloro

Total acidity (as acetic acid) max. mg/L 30,0 17,0

Percentage of ethanol % v/v 93,2 ± 0,4 91,3

pH - 6,0 a 8,0 6,5

Aldehydes (as acetaldehyde) max. mg/L 60 29

Esters (as ethyl acetate) max. mg/L 100 47,3

Methyl alcohol, max. mg/L 500 n.d.

Higher alcohols, max. mg/L 500 163,8(1) Asociación Brasilera de Normas Técnicas / Normas Brasileras

(2) Clear and free of water or suspended matter.

(3) From colorless to yellow.

Analytical data of cassava hydrated ethanol

Component 5. Technology platform for sustainable management of wastes and effluents

What did work?

Efficient flocculation technology

Animal feed products(design, fabrication, and consumption)

What did not work?

Variability in the processing of animal feed products

Why?

Solid Scientific base(polymers)

Good Results in bio-economic trials(good conversion rates)

Why not?

Quality of raw material coming from bio-refinery is not uniform

Waste management and effluent

Summary

Lack of acces to energy is a great barrier for economic development and growth,especially in isolated areas in which the instalation of electric grids is very expensive

The majority of poor people live in rural areas; hunger also concentrates in rural areas . Greater investment and emphasis should be put in agricultural and rural development , if hunger is to be reduced faster

In countries and regions with limited access to modern forms of energy, governments and development agencies support for small-scale biofuel production can improve access to energy. ,with positive effects on rural development,poverty and hunger alleviation.

2.5 to 3 billion people around the world depend on traditional forms of bioenergy to cook their food (coal, wood, dry animal manure) 1.6 billion people around the world does not hace access to electricity

Support Policies?

Blending mandates (compulsory use of biofuels)Compulsory production of cars using biofuelsTax incentivesGovernment purchasing policiesSupport for biofuel compatible infrastructure and policiesResearch and development ( bioenergy crops, conversion technology development, wastes and residues handling)Subsidies during initial market developmentStimulate rural activities based on biomass energy

• Concept of growing bio-energy crops Need to promote scaling-up, grass-roots is new for small-scale farmers groups validation and adjustment of promising(sweet potato, sweet sorghum) approaches based on tropical, easy to produce, bio-energy crops( cassava, sweet

potato, sweet sorghum)

Component 1Competitive and sustainable production technologies for three energy crops: cassava, sweet sorghum and sweet potato

Constraints Potential solutions

Difficult for small-scale farmers to have Unlock the wealth of genetic resources access to improved germplasm available at CGIAR Centers (CIAT, CIP, (sweet potato, sweet sorghum) with ICRISAT) and other non-CGIAR Centers potential to be used as bioenergy crops. (Embrapa, CATAS)

Lack of institutional support (financing, Promote incentives and support to technical assistance, market information, small-scale scale agriculture and IFES oriented policies) bioenergy production as two strategic

policies at country level

High cost of equipments for conditioning Establish specific types of support for the bioenergy crops into fermentable biomass small- scale, poor farmers-based IFES (washing, peeling, grating, drying, refining) approaches Brazil example: credit lines for investment in bioenergy infrastructure (10 years, 3 years free, interest rates of 2% per year).

Lack of know-how by farmers groups Promote transfer of technologies, and technical personnel expertise and experiences about IFES

approaches, within and between countries

Component 2 Technologies platforms to obtain fermentable biomass

Constraints Potential solutions

Lack of infrastructure, especially in rural, marginal areas (roads, electric energy)

Promoting policies and strategies thatidentify and select areas of unique interestfor development of IFES approaches

Integrate IFES development into existing rural development policies and programmes

Component 3 Technology platform for production of hydrated ethanol

Constraints Potential solutions

Lack of technical and specialized Build capacity of technical personnel onsupport (technical know how, technical, and managerial skillsmaintenance, spare parts)

Lack of know-how by farmers groups Build capacity and educate farmers groups (technical, managerial and administrative skilss)

High cost of equipments Establish specific financing programs forestablishment of bioenergy infrastructure(subsidised credits, income tax reductioncash subsidies linked to production levels)

Component 4 Local uses for hydrated ethanol

Constraints Potential solutions

Small-scale of the process is usually associated Promote use of hydrated ethanol inwith not-competitive price compared with remote,marginal rural areas where fossil traditional fossil fuel fuel prices are high due to transport

costsLack of financing opportunities and Implement a. “Financing Development mechanisms to facilitate access of poorest Approach” .Subsidies granted for sectors of rural populations to bioenergy bioenergy production and uses BUT

approaches transparent and linked to development policies Lack of local know-how and capacity for Implement capacity building programs operation, monitoringand maintenance of for helping farmers and agricultural conversion system( boilers, engines, stoves, technical assistance and extension distillery) officers, to build the know-how required for sustainable bioenergy production

Lack of an “official policy“ that includeshydrated ethanol as part of the bio-energyportfolio

Establish a policy framework to promote andsupport decentralized, local production and uses of hydrated ethanol

Component 5 Sustainable management of wastes and effluents

Constraints Potential solutions

Need for storage infrastructure for Develop alternative uses for non-treated management of the effluents generated effluents (irrigation, animal feeding, crop fertilization)

High cost of current technologies for Develop alternative, cheapersustainable management of wastes and technologies for waste managementresidues (polymer-based solid floculation; (i.e.Moringa Oleifera seeds as solidBiogas generation) floculant, water clarification technology)

High volumes of wastes and effluentsproduced, with high contaminationpotential 1 liter biofuel = 10-15 litersvinasses1

Develop conversion processes that help toreduce the amount of effluents generated

CRP-RTB

Thank you