(118f) Rule of Thumb for Design and Analysis of Biomass Utilization System

This paper deals with the rule of thumb for design and analysis of overall biomass utilization system, including, the matching of available biomass and conversion technologies, the market and demand of biomass-based energy/products, the evaluation of material and energy balances throughout the system, the environmental impacts, and the sustainability.  When laying a plot of biomass utilization, it is important to develop comprehensive strategy based on a reasonable scenario.  Nevertheless every plot has different circumstances and viewpoints on it.  There are endless varieties of factors regarding to design and analysis of the biomass systems.  The problems spread across wide-ranged issues from agriculture/forestry to industry, from political/social sectors to scientific/engineering sectors, from local to worldwide, and so on.  To establish a reasonable biomass system, it is necessary to make clear the whole picture of it, organizing the key factors and problems.   

We have developed concepts and methods to design biomass utilization systems.  Our approach includes the followings: 1) screening the key factors, 2) drawing up a scenario and its modeling, 3) matching the available biomass sources and utilization technologies, 4) analysis/optimization of material and energy balances throughout the whole system, and 5) evaluation of economical and environmental issues.  In this paper our recent progress in this field is shown with some results of case studies.